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
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Glossary