also have more aircraft than their PAA, such as trainers, spare 'maintenance floats,' or inoperable 'hangar queens.'
PAO Public Affairs Officer. Military staff officer responsible for media relations, coordination with civil authorities, VIP escort duties, and similar chores. The PAO of an aircraft carrier is typically a Navy lieutenant, supervising a small team of enlisted writers and media specialists.
Paveway Generic term for laser-guided bombs. Made by Raytheon/Texas Instruments since 1968. Latest Paveway III version provides standoff range of 3–5 nm.
PGM Precision Guided Munition. Commonly called a 'smart bomb,' any weapon that uses electronic, electro-optical, inertial, or other advanced forms of terminal guidance to achieve a very high probability of hitting its target.
Pitch Change of an aircraft's attitude relative to its lateral axis (a line drawn from left to right through the center of gravity). Pitch up and the nose rises; pitch down and the nose drops.
'Pucker Factor' Flight crew anxiety level. Typically related to highly stressful combat situations such as major aircraft system malfunctions while under fire from enemy missiles.
Pylon A structure attached to the wing or fuselage of an aircraft that supports an engine, fuel tank, weapon, or external pod. The pylon itself may be removable, in which case it is attached to a 'hard point' that provides a mechanical and electrical interface.
RAM Radar Absorbing Material. Metal or metal-oxide particles or fibers embedded in synthetic resin applied as a coating or surface treatment on radar-reflective areas of a vehicle in order to reduce its radar cross
section. A particular RAM formulation may be specific to a narrow band of the radar frequency spectrum.
RC-135V Rivet Joint Program name for electronic reconnaissance aircraft, operated by 55th Wing based at Offut AFB, NE. Used in Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
RH-53E Sikorsky 'Sea Dragon' found in mine-countermeasure units.
RIM-116A RAM RIM-116A Rolling Airframe Missile. Development began in 1975 as a joint U.S./German/Danish program. Entered service in June 1993 on USS Peleliu (LHA-5). Combines seeker head of Stinger SAM with motor, warhead, and fuse from AIM-9 Sidewinder. Angled tail fins cause the missile to spin in flight for stability. Range of around 5 nm, and carried in a 21-round box launcher.
RO-RO Roll-on/Roll-off. A cargo ship with vehicle parking decks, flexible ramps, and special ventilation, allowing loaded vehicles to drive on or off under their own power.
ROE Rules of Engagement. Guidance often determined at the highest levels of national government, regarding how and when warriors may employ their weapons. In air-to-air combat, ROE usually specify specific criteria for declaring a non-friendly aircraft as hostile. In air-to-ground combat, ROE usually forbids attacking targets likely to involve significant collateral damage to civilian populations or religious sites. Regardless of the ROE, the right of self-defense against direct armed attack is
Roll Change of attitude relative to the longitudinal axis (a line drawn from nose to tail through the center of gravity). Roll to port and an aircraft tilts to the left; roll to starboard and it tilts to the right. Roll also describes a class of aerobatic maneuvers, such as the barrel roll.
RWR Radar Warning Receiver. An electronic detector tuned to one or more hostile radar frequencies and linked to an alarm that alerts the pilot to the approximate direction, and possibly the type of threat. Similar in concept to automotive police radar detectors. Also known as a RHAW (Radar Homing and Warning Receiver).
SAM Surface to Air Missile. A guided missile with the primary mission of engaging and destroying enemy aircraft. Most SAMs use rocket propulsion and some type of radar or infrared guidance.
SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar. An aircraft radar (or operating mode of a multi-function radar) that can produce highly accurate ground maps.
SCUD Western reporting name for the Soviet R-11 (SCUD-A) and R-17 (SCUD-B) short- range ballistic missiles. Based largely on captured WW II German technology. Range of 110–180 miles with 900- kg/1,980-1b warhead, with inaccurate inertial guidance. Can be transported and erected for launch by a large truck. Widely exported to Iraq, North Korea, and other Soviet client states. Iraq modified basic SCUD-B design to produce longer-ranged Al Abbas and Al Hussein missiles with much smaller warheads.
SEAD Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses. This requires enticing the enemy to 'light up' search and tracking radars, launch SAMs, or fire antiaircraft guns, which can then be targeted for destruction or neutralization by jamming and other countermeasures.
SIGINT Signal Intelligence. Interception, decoding, and analysis of enemy communications traffic.
Skunk Works(r) Lockheed's Burbank, California, Advanced Development group, created during WW II by engineer Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson. Developed the U-2, SR-71, F-117, and other secret aircraft. Lockheed Martin copyrights the name and skunk cartoon logo.
Slat A long, narrow, moveable control surface, usually along the leading edge of the wing, to provide additional life during takeoff.
Sortie The basic unit of airpower: one complete combat mission by one aircraft. 'Sortie generation' is the ability of an air unit to re-arm, refuel, and service aircraft for repeated missions in a given period.
Sparrow AIM-7 family of long-range radar-guided air-to-air missiles produced by Raytheon. Variants include the ship-launched Sea Sparrow.
Stall Sudden lost of lift when the airflow separates from the wing surface; may be caused by a variety of maneuvers, such as climbing too steeply with insufficient thrust. 'Compressor stall' is a different phenomenon that occurs inside a turbine engine.
Stealth A combination of design features, technologies, and materials, some highly classified, designed to reduce the radar, visual, infrared, and acoustic signature of an aircraft, ship, or other vehicle. This can be taken to the point where effective enemy detection and countermeasures are extremely unlikely before the vehicle has completed its mission and escaped. The F-117A is the best-known modern example.
STOVL Short Takeoff-Vertical Landing. Capability of certain vectored-thrust aircraft, notably the Harrier and variants of the future Joint Strike Fighter. Short takeoff is assisted by a fixed 'ski-jump' ramp.
T-38 Talon Twin-turbojet advanced trainer, over 1,100 built by Northrop. Entered service in 1961. First supersonic aircraft specifically designed as a trainer.
T-3A Firefly Lightweight two-seat propeller-driven trainer based on British Slingsby T67. Used by U.S. Air Force for screening of prospective pilots. Top speed 178 mph, ceiling 19,000 ft.
TARPS Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System. A 1,700-pound/770 kg pod built by Naval Avionics Center and fitted to four F-14 fighters in each carrier air wing. Pod carries a 9-inch panoramic camera, 12- inch frame camera, and infrared line scanner.
TDY Temporary Duty. A military assignment to a location away from one's normal duty station. TDY generally involves separation from family and entitles personnel to supplementary pay and allowances.
TERCOM Terrain Contour Matching, a cruise-missile-guidance concept that relies on a radar altimeter and a stored digital map of elevations along the line of flight. Flight plans require detailed and lengthy preparation, and cannot be generated for relatively flat, featureless terrain.
Top Gun U.S. Navy Fighter Weapon School at NAS Fallon, NV. Responsible for training fleet pilots in air-combat maneuvering.
TRAP Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel.
U-2 High-altitude (over 90,000 ft/27,430 m) reconnaissance aircraft originally developed in 1950 for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency by Lockheed. Single J57, later J75 turbojet. Many variants with diverse sensors operated by the USAF and NASA (civilian research).
UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Also known as a drone or RPV (remotely piloted vehicle). A recoverable pilotless aircraft, either remotely controlled over a radio-data link, or preprogrammed with an
