hill.
ELINT Electronic Intelligence. Interception and analysis of radar, radio and other electromagnetic emissions in order to determine enemy location, numbers, and capabilities.
E/O Electro-optical. A general term for sensors that use video, infrared or laser technology for assisting navigation or locating, tracking or designating targets.
ESM Electronic Security Measures. Usually refers to systems that monitor the electromagnetic spectrum to detect, localize and warn of potential threats.
FAC Forward Air Controller. Designates both the aircraft and the pilot with the dangerous mission of circling over a battlefield to locate targets and direct strike aircraft.
FARP Forward Arming and Refueling Point. An austere temporary base for helicopters and STOVL aircraft, established as close to the combat zone as possible to reduce transit time.
FCSL Fire Control Support Line. Hypothetical line in front of friendly ground troops beyond which CAS and other aircraft must deliver ordnance.
Fire team Four-man unit, the basic maneuver element for U.S. Army infantry.
FLIR Forward Looking Infrared. An electro-optical device similar to a television camera that “sees” in the infrared spectrum rather than visible light. A FLIR displays an image based on minute temperature variations in its field of view, so that hot engine exhaust appears to stand out.
FY Fiscal Year. Begins on October 1. Used for budget planning purposes by the U.S. government.
GBU Guided Bomb Unit. General term for a class of precision-guided munitions, such as the GBU-10 Paveway II Laser Guided Bomb (LGB).
GCE Ground Combat Element. Part of a Joint Task Force, normally commanded by the senior Army or Marine officer present.
Geosynchronous Also called “geostationary.” A satellite in equatorial orbit at an altitude of 35,786 km (about 22,000 miles) will take twenty-four hours to circle the Earth. In twenty-four hours the Earth rotates once on its axis, so the satellite will appear to be “fixed” over the same point on the Earth.
GHz Gigahertz. A measure of frequency. 1 GHz=1,000,000,000 cycles per second.
Goldwater-Nichols Common name for the Military Reform Act of 1986, which created a series of unified commands cutting across traditional service boundaries and strengthened the power of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
GPS Global Positioning System. A constellation of twenty-two Navstar satellites in inclined Earth orbits, which continuously broadcast navigational signals synchronized by ultra-precise atomic clocks. At least four satellites are usually in transit across the sky visible to a user.
Have Quick A family of jam-resistant secure airborne radios operating in the UHF band utilizing frequency hopping.
HEAT High Explosive Anti-Tank. A “shaped charge” missile or cannon projectile that focuses an explosion on a metal liner, producing a superheated gas jet that cuts through armor plate (incinerating those unfortunate enough to be on the other side).
HEI High Explosive Incendiary. A type of ammunition commonly used with air-to-air guns.
Hellfire Heavy (100 lb/45 kg) laser-guided antitank missile fired by attack helicopters. Over 30,000 built by Rockwell and Lockheed Martin.
HEMTT Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. A family of off-road trucks in the ten-ton class, built by Oshkosh Truck Co. Particularly valuable for bulk fuel, ammunition and water supply.
HHC Headquarters and Headquarters Company. The Army’s rather awkward term for a command element, including the commanding officer, his immediate staff, and their directly supporting administrative, transport, and security personnel.
HMMWV High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. Commonly called “Humvee” or “Hummer.” Rugged and reliable 4X4 diesel introduced in the 1980s to replace the Jeep as the standard light utility vehicle of U.S. Armed Forces.
HOTAS Hands on Throttle and Stick. A cockpit flight control unit that allows the pilot to regulate engine power settings and steering commands with one hand.
Howitzer A short-barreled artillery piece designed to fire at medium angles of elevation (distinguished from flat-trajectory guns and high-angle
HUA “Heard, Understood, and Acknowledged.” All-purpose Airborne response, uttered with a variety of nuances and inflections, but always with great enthusiasm.
HUD Heads-Up Display. A transparent screen above the cockpit instruments on which critical flight, target and weapons information is projected, so that the pilot need not look down to read gauges and displays during an engagement.
IFF Identification Friend or Foe. A radio frequency system designed to reduce the risk of shooting down friendly aircraft. An IFF “interrogator” transmits a coded message intended for the IFF “transponder” on an unknown target.
IIR Imaging Infrared. An electro-optical device similar to a video camera that “sees” small differences in temperature and displays them as levels of contrast or false colors on an operator’s display screen.
ILS Instrument Landing System. A radio-frequency device installed at some airfields that assists the pilot of a suitably equipped aircraft in landing during conditions of poor visibility.
INS Inertial Navigation System. A device that determines location and velocity by sensing the acceleration and direction of every movement since the system was initialized or updated at a known point.
Infantry The combat branch that seizes and holds ground. The 82nd Airborne Division has a very high proportion of infantry.
Interdiction Use of airpower to disrupt or prevent the movement of enemy military units and supplies by attacking transportation routes, vehicles and bridges deep in the enemy’s rear areas.
IOC Initial Operational Capability. The point in the life cycle of a weapon system when it officially enters service and is considered ready for combat, with all training, spare parts, technical manuals and software complete. The more complex the system, the more distant the IOC.
Javelin Next-generation shoulder-launched medium anti-tank missile.
JCS Joint Chiefs of Staff. The senior U.S. military command level, responsible for advising the President on matters of national defense. The JCS consists of a chairman, who may be drawn from any service, a deputy, and the four service chiefs.
JFACC Joint Forces Air Component Commander. The officer who has operational control over all air units and air assets assigned to a theater of operations. The JFACC is typically drawn from the service that has the greatest amount of air power in the area of operations.
Joy Stick The control stick of a fixed-wing aircraft. Moving the stick forward or back makes the nose pitch up or down. Moving the stick left or right makes the aircraft bank in the corresponding direction. The rudder is separately controlled by foot pedals.
JP-5 Standard U.S. military jet fuel. A petroleum distillate similar to kerosene. JRTC Joint Readiness Training Center. Fort Polk, Louisiana.
JSTARS Joint Surveillance and Targeting Attack Radar System. An Army/Air Force program to deploy about twenty Boeing E-8C aircraft equipped with powerful, side-looking, synthetic aperture radar to detect moving ground targets at long range.
JTF Joint Task Force. A military unit composed of elements of two or more services, commanded by a relatively senior officer. JTFs may be organized for a specific mission, or maintained as semi- permanent organizations, such as the anti-drug JTF-4 based in Florida.
