|
|
A/G |
Air/ground |
AA |
Air-to-air |
also: |
Anti-aircraft |
AAA |
Anti-aircraft artillery |
AAAA |
Army Aviation Association of America |
AAC |
Army Air Corps (UK) |
also: |
Alaskan Air Command (USAF) |
AAF |
Auxiliary air force |
AAFCE |
Allied Air Forces Central Europe (NATO) |
AAI |
Angle of approach indicator |
AAIB |
Air Accidents Investigations Branch (UK) |
AAM |
Air-to-air missile |
AAO |
Airborne area of operations |
AAR |
Air-to-air refueling |
AAS |
Aeromedical Airlift Squadron (USAF) |
AATH |
Automatic approach to hover |
AB |
Air base (USAF; overseas locations) |
also: |
Aktiebolag (Swedish company constitution) |
ABG |
Air Base Group (USAF) |
ABM |
Anti-ballistic missile |
ABS |
Air Base Squadron (USAF) |
also: |
Antilock braking system |
absolute ceiling |
Maximum altitude aircraft can reach in
unaccelerated flight |
ACCS |
Air command and control system (NATO) |
also: |
Airborne Command & Control Squadron (USAF) |
ACLANT |
Allied Command, Atlantic (NATO) |
ABW |
Air Base Wing (USAF) |
AC |
Aerodynamic centre |
also: |
Alternating current |
ACAB |
Air cavalry attack brigade |
ACAS |
Airborne collision-avoidance system |
also: |
Assistent chief of air staff (UK) |
ACB |
Air circuit breaker |
ACC |
Air Combat Command (USAF) |
ACE |
Allied Command Europe |
also: |
Actuator control electronics |
ACES |
Advanced concept ejection seat |
acint |
Acoustic intelligence |
ACLS |
Automatic carrier landing system |
also: |
Air cushion landing system |
ACM |
Air combat manoeuvring |
also: |
Air combat mission |
also: |
Air Chief Marshal |
ACMI |
Air combat manoeuvring instrumentation |
ACMR |
Air combat manoeuvring range |
ACMS |
Aircraft condition monitoring system |
ACN |
Aircraft classification number; ICAO system
indicating order of bending moment for runway pavements |
ACO |
Airborne commanding officer |
ACP |
Audio control panel |
also: |
Airborne command post |
ACR |
Air control radar |
ACS |
Air combat simulator |
also: |
Attitude control system |
also: |
Automated control system |
also: |
Airborne control system |
ACT |
Active control technology |
active controls |
Flight control system which automatically
counteracts vertical acceleration caused by gusts by movement of pitch
controls |
active runway |
runway currently in use for flying operations |
ACU |
Avionics control unit |
ACW |
Air Control Wing (USAF) |
AD |
Airworthiness directive |
also: |
Air defence |
also: |
Air Division (USAF) |
ADA |
High order computer language for US armed forces |
ADAS |
Airborne data aquisition system |
ADC |
Air data computer |
ADD |
Airstream direction detector; measures angle of
attack |
ADF |
Automatic direction finder (a radio navigation
aid) |
also: |
Air defence fighter |
ADGE |
Air defence ground environment |
ADHS |
Analog data handling system |
ADI |
Attitude director indicator |
ADIRS |
Air data and inertial reference system |
adjustable pitch |
Propeller with pitch which can only be adjusted
on the ground |
ADP |
Automated data-processing |
ADR |
Accident data recorder |
also: |
Air defence region |
ADS |
Air data system |
also: |
Air defence sector |
ADSU |
Air data sensor unit |
ADU |
Air data unit |
AdvCap |
Advanced capability |
ADW |
Area denial weapon |
AEF |
Air Experience Flight (RAF) |
AEGIS |
AEW/Ground environment Integration System |
AEO |
All engines operating |
aerofoil |
Any solid body shaped such that as air or hot
gas passes over it, it produces a useful force perpendicuar to the
direction of relative motion; e.g.
wing or turbine blade |
aeroplane |
Powered heavier-than-air aircraft with a
non-rotating wing |
aerostat |
Lighter-than-air aircraft; aka
buoyant aircraft;
i.e. airship or balloon |
AETC |
Air Education and Training Command (USAF) |
AEU |
Airborne electronics unit |
AEW |
Airborne early warning |
AEW&C |
Airborne early warning & control |
AF |
Air force |
AFA |
Air Force Association |
AFB |
Air force base (USAF; airfields on US territory) |
AFC |
Augmentor fuel control |
also: |
Automatic frequency control |
also: |
Aramid fibre composite |
AFCAS |
Automatic flight control augmentation system |
AFCC |
Air Force Communications Command (USAF) |
AFCENT |
Allied Forces Central Europe (NATO) |
AFCS |
Automatic flight control system |
AFDS |
Autopilot and flight director system |
also: |
Automatic flight director system |
AFFTC |
Air Force Flight Test Center (USAF) |
AFGS |
Automatic flight guidance system |
AFLC |
Air Force Logistics Command (USAF) |
AFM |
Advanced fuel management |
AFMC |
Air Force Material Command (USAF) |
AFMS |
Automatic flight management system |
AFRC |
Air Force Reserve Command (USAF) |
AFRES |
Air Force reserves (USAF) |
AFRP |
Aramid fibre-reinforced plastics |
AFS |
Automatic flight system |
AFSC |
Air Force Systems Command (USAF) |
AFSOC |
Air Force Special Operations Command (USAF) |
AFSPC |
Air Force Space Command (USAF) |
afterburning |
Augmented thrust; achieved by burning additional fuel
in jetpipe; aka reheat |
AG |
Aktiengesellschaft;
German joint stock company |
also: |
Airlift Group (USAF) |
AGARD |
Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and
Development (NATO) |
AGL |
Above ground level |
AGM |
Air-to-ground missile |
Ah |
Ampere-hours |
AHM |
Anti-helicopter mine |
AHRS |
Attitude heading and reference system |
AI |
Air interdiction |
also: |
Air interception |
also: |
Artificial intelligence |
AIAA |
American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics |
AIC |
Air inlet computer |
AIDS |
Airborne integrated data system |
aileron |
Control surface on trailing edge of wing
providing control in roll |
AIM |
Airborne intercept missile |
also: |
Actuator interface module |
AIR |
Air intercept radar |
aircraft |
Any and all man-made vehicles intended for
navigation within the atmosphere |
airship |
Buoyant vehicle with means of control and
propulsion |
airspeed |
Velocity of a vehicle relative to the
surrounding air |
airstairs |
Passenger boarding stairs built as an integral
part of the aircraft |
air superiority |
The control of airspace through the destruction
of enemy fighter aircraft in dogfight action |
AIS |
Automated information system |
also: |
Advanced instrumentation subsystem |
aka |
also known as |
ALBM |
Air launched ballistic missile |
ALCM |
Air launched cruise missile |
ALCS |
Active lift control system |
also: |
Augmented longitudinal control system |
ALD |
Air-launched decoy |
ALF |
Airlift Flight (USAF) |
ALFS |
Airborne low-frequency sonar |
Al-Li |
Aluminium-Lithium |
ALPA |
Air Line Pilots Association (US) |
alpha |
Angle of attack of main wing;
re: AoA |
ALS |
Airlift Squadron (USAF) |
Alt |
Altitude |
AM |
Amplitude modulation |
AMC |
Air Mobility Command (USAF) |
AMF |
ACE Mobile Force (NATO) |
AMI |
Aeronautica Militare Italiana;
Italian Air Force |
amphibian |
Aircraft capable of routinely operating from
both water and land |
AMS |
Air Maintenance Squadron (USAF) |
AMSL |
Above mean sea level |
AMTI |
Airborne moving target indicator |
AMW |
Air Mobility Wing (USAF) |
ANG |
Air National Guard (USAF) |
anhedral |
Downward wing inclination from root to tip |
angled deck |
Aircraft carrier deck inclined obliquely from
port bow to starboard stern |
ANO |
Air Navigation Order (UK); statutory instrument
for enactment of policy |
ANS |
Airborne navigation system |
also: |
Automatic navigation system |
ANZUK |
Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom
military alliance |
ANZUS |
Australia, New Zealand and United States
security treaty |
AoA |
Angle of attack; the angle between the zero-lift
line of a wing and the free-stream airflow |
AOAI |
Angle of attack indicator |
AOB |
Air Order of Battle |
AOC |
Air officer commanding |
AOG |
Aircraft on ground |
AOP |
Airborne observation post |
APGS |
Auxiliary power generating system |
APR |
Auxiliary power reserve |
also: |
Automatic power reserve |
APS |
Auxiliary power system |
also: |
Aircraft prepared for service; weight including
crew but excluding fuel and payload |
APU |
Auxiliary power unit (on board of aircraft) |
ARCS |
Aquisition radar and control system |
AREFS |
Air Refueling Squadron (USAF) |
AREFW |
Air Refueling Wing (USAF) |
ARG |
Air Refueling Group (USAF) |
ARINC |
Aeronautical Radio Inc; company which
established standard module sizes |
ARM |
Anti-radiation missile |
ARNG |
Army National Guard (US) |
ARPA |
Advanced Research Projects Agency
aka DARPA |
ARR |
Air refueling receptacle |
ARS |
Attack radar set |
articulated rotor |
Rotor blades are able to flap, drag and feather |
ARV |
Air recreational vehicle |
ASARS |
Advanced synthetic aperture radar system |
ASAT |
Anti-satellite |
ASCC |
Air Standards Co-ordinating Committee;
responsible for assigning recognition names to aircraft of a potential
enemy |
ASDA |
Accelerate stop distance available |
ASE |
Automatic stabilisation equipment |
also: |
Aircraft survivability equipment |
ASI |
Airspeed indicator |
ASIP |
Aircraft structural integrity programme (US) |
ASL |
Above sea level |
ASM |
Air-to-surface missile |
ASO |
Acoustic systems officer |
aspect ratio |
Measure of wing slenderness when seen in plan
view, usually defined as the square of the span divided by gross area |
ASR |
Air Staff Requirement (UK) |
ASST |
Anti-ship surveillance & targeting |
also: |
Advanced supersonic transport |
AST |
Air Staff Target (UK) |
ASTOVL |
Advanced short take-off and vertical landing |
ASUW |
Anti-surface unit warfare |
ASV |
Anti-surface vessel |
ASW |
Anti-submarine warfare |
ATA |
Air Transport Association |
also: |
Actual time of arrival |
ATAF |
Allied Tactical Air Force (NATO) |
ATAP |
Anti-tank, anti-personnel |
ATC |
Air traffic control |
also: |
Approved type certificate |
also: |
Air Training Command (USAF) |
ATCC |
Air traffic control centre |
ATD |
Actual time of departure |
also: |
Advanced technology demonstrator |
ATDS |
Airborne tactical data system |
ATE |
Automatic test equipment |
ATGM |
Anti-tank guided missile |
ATGW |
Anti-tank guided weapon |
ATHS |
Airborne target handover system |
ATIS |
Aerodrome terminal information service |
also: |
Automatic terminal information service |
ATO |
Assisted take-off |
ATR |
Air transport racking; ARINC case-sizes |
ATS |
Air traffic service |
augmented |
Jet engine: boosted by afterburning |
autofeathering |
System which feathers the propeller of a failed
engine automatically |
autogyro |
Rotary-wing aircraft propelled by a propellor
and lifted by a freely running autorotating rotor;
aka gyroplane |
autorotation |
Rapid power-off descent in a helicopter, reduced
immediately before touch-down by increasing collective pitch |
AUW |
All up weight; total weight under defined
conditions |
avcat |
re:
JP-5 |
avgas |
Aviation gasoline |
avionics |
Aviation electronics |
avpin |
Aviation specification monofuel; iso-propyl
nitrate |
avtag |
re: JP-4 |
avtur |
re: JP-1 |
AW |
Airlift Wing (USAF) |
AWAC |
Automated weapon control system |
AWACS |
Airborne warning & control system; nowadays
loosely applied to all AEW aircraft |
AWCLS |
All-weather carrier landing system |
AWE |
Atomic Weapons Establishment (UK) |
AWR |
Airborne weather radar |
azimuth |
Horizontal direction or bearing; rotation about
vertical axis |