Enigma T301 Type of mobile phone allowing totally secure conversation
EPI1 Essentially a movement order for CDC (q.v.) personnel. It specifies what the team members are hoping to achieve, where they are going, who they are to contact on arrival, and so on
ERC En-route Chart. Aviation chart showing airfields, airways, upper air routes and other information
ERS En-Route Supplement. Document listing airfield, beacon and other aviation information for a specified geographic area
FA2 Fighter Attack 2 variant of the Sea Harrier, also known as the FRS2
FAA Federal Aviation Administration: the American Government organization responsible for all aspects of aviation and air traffic control in the United States
FADEC Full Authority Digital Engine Control: a computerized control system used on the Agusta 109 helicopter
FDO Flight Deck Officer: physically controls all movements on the Flight Deck of an aircraft carrier
Fibbies Slang term for the FBI
Filovirus A lethal thread-like virus found in Africa: there are several different types, the most deadly being Ebola Zaire
Flight Level Height of an aircraft in thousands of feet based upon the standard pressure setting (q.v.) of 1013.25 hPa (hectopascals) or 29.92 inches (for some American aircraft)
Flyco Flying Control position: located on the port side of the bridge of an aircraft carrier, Flyco controls all launches from, and recoveries to, the ship
FOE Foreign Operations Executive. The fictitious organization that employs Paul Richter. Although FOE does not literally exist, the concept of the SIS employing ex-military personnel to carry out deniable operations is well established. These recruits are known collectively as ‘The Increment’
Fort Detrick Location of USAMRIID, the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, which possesses one of the only two BSL4 laboratories in America
FRS1 Early model of the Sea Harrier
Gazelle Two-seat basic trainer helicopter used by the Royal Navy
Glock Austrian-manufactured 9mm semi-automatic pistol
GSM Global System for Mobile Telecommunications. The technical name for the system that operates the ubiquitous mobile phone
Guard Military Emergency frequency of 243.0 megahertz: the equivalent civil VHF frequency is 121.5 megahertz
Guardian Radar warning receiver fitted to Sea Harrier aircraft
HDS Helicopter Delivery Service
HEPA High Efficiency Particle Arrestor: a very efficient filter
Hi-Power Browning 9mm semi-automatic pistol: the standard British Forces side- arm
Homer A radar console manned by a specialist Air Traffic Control officer on an aircraft carrier
KH-11 or KH-12 Type of surveillance satellite normally known as a ‘Keyhole’
L4HA Level Four Hot Agent: classification of the most lethal known virus types
Little F Lieutenant Commander (Flying)
Mayday Highest state of emergency in an aircraft or ship
MDC Miniature Detonating Cord: thin line of explosive bonded into an aircraft canopy, which shatters it a split-second before the ejection seat is fired
Merlin Agusta Westland Merlin HM Mk 1 ASW helicopter
MI5 Military Intelligence 5 – the Security Service – responsible for counter-espionage in the United Kingdom. Also known as ‘Five’
Model 92 Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol
Mossad The Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks. The Israeli intelligence service, headquartered in Tel Aviv, is one of the most competent and feared services in the world, achieving remarkable results from a total staff of only about 1,200
NAS Naval Air Station (US) or Naval Air Squadron (UK)
NAVHARS Sea Harrier’s inertial navigation system
NBCD Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence
N-PIC National Photographic Interpretation Center: part of the Science and Technology Directorate of the CIA and based at Building 213 in the Washington Navy Yard
OOW Officer of the Watch
Pan Lower of the two possible states of emergency in an aircraft or ship
Perp Perpetrator
PGP Pretty Good Privacy: a type of data-encryption computer program
Pigeons Magnetic heading to steer and distance to run to reach a ship. Passed to a pilot on recovery to the ship in the format: ‘Pigeons two seven five at forty-two’
Porton Down British biological and chemical weapon research facility
POTUS President of the United States
PWO Principal Warfare Officer
QNH Airfield pressure setting calculated so that an aircraft’s altimeter will show the airfield’s elevation when on the runway
RC-135 A highly specialized and very expensive electronic surveillance aircraft based on the Boeing 707 platform
RDF Radio Direction Finder
RDX Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine. Also known as hexogen or cyclonite, it’s a white crystalline substance that is one of the most powerful and stable of the military-application explosives
RFA Royal Fleet Auxiliary: merchant ships that operate under special rules and act as supply vessels to Royal Navy ships
Ripple Three ASW tactic using three helicopters in a screen to protect a group of surface ships: each aircraft is relieved on task by another, so providing a constant ASW protection against the perceived threat
RPS Regional Pressure Setting: the lowest forecast pressure setting for an area that is used by low-level aircraft in transit through that area
SAMOS Satellite and Missile Observation System. Generic term for a series of early American satellites designed to spy on the Soviet Union
SDS Satellite Data System. American satellites used to relay images and data from reconnaissance and geostationary communications satellites, and to detect nuclear detonations. The current version is the SDS-2
SEM Scanning Electron Microscope
