Ed Macy: Apache

F18:US Navy strike warplane called the Hornet – very similar cockpit to the Apache but less busy

Fast Air:Offensive military jet aircraft

FCR:Fire Control Radar – the Apache’s Longbow Radar

Firebase:Friendly Forces firing position used to cover an assault

Flanking:From the side

Flares:Hot flares fired to attract heat-seeking missiles, luring them away from the Apache

Flechette:Eighty-five-inch tungsten darts fired from a rocket travelling above Mach 2

FLIR:Forward Looking Infrared. Sights that generate a thermal picture – an image produced by an object’s heat source

Fly-by-wire:Flying the helicopter using sensors from the controls like a PlayStation control works. A Back Up flight Control System (BUCS) used when control runs are shot through

FM Radio:A Frequency Modulated secure radio in the Apache

Force 84:British Special Forces operating in Afghanistan

Formate:Aviation term for formation flying

Frag:Fragments of hot metal that break away from a shell when it explodes

Fragged:As published in the orders

Frago:Fragmented Orders – extracted part of a full set of orders

Fuselage:Main body of an aircraft

GAFA:Great Afghan Fuck All – Dasht-e-Margo – the Desert of Death

GAU8:Gatling gun fitted to an A10 ground attack aircraft

GBU:Guided Bomb Unit – smart bombs

GCHQ:British Government Communications Headquarters – Intelligence andSecurity Organisation

GPMG:British Forces General Purpose Machine Gun – 7.62 mm bipod machine gun

GPS:Global Positioning System – satellite navigation equipment

GR7:Harrier GR7 – Royal Air Force warplane capable of Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL)

Green Zone:Lush habitation of irrigated fields, hedgerows, trees and small woods on either side of the Helmand River, bordered by arid deserts

Groundcrew:People who work with aircraft when they are on the ground, not technicians

Ground school:Academic lessons on flying and all to do with flying; met, law, engines, etc.

Gunship:An aircraft that has the capability of firing its cannon/s from the side instead of having to strafe head-on

Gun tape:The video tape put into an Apache that records what the selected sight sees

Harrier:See GR7

H Hour:The moment offensive action begins – first bullet, bomb or the moment troops walk towards their intended target to attack

HEDP:High Explosive Dual Purpose – 30 mm cannon rounds

Height:The height above the ground

HEISAP:High Explosive Incendiary Semi-Armour Piercing – kinetic rocket fired by the Apache

Hellfire:AGM-114K SAL (Semi-Active Laser) Hellfire II is a laser-guided Hellfire missile fitted to the Apache and Predator

Hercules:See C130

Hesco Bastion:Square metal meshed cubes lined with Hessian and filled with rubble and/or sand. Used as defensive ramparts to protect bases and platoon houses from fire

HIDAS:Helicopter Integrated Defensive Aid System – protection from SAMs

HIG:Hezb-I Islami Gulbuddin – major group of the old Mujahideen with ties to Osama bin Laden referred to in this book as Taliban

HLS:Helicopter Landing Site

Hot:Air speak for clearance or acknowledgment that live bombs can be dropped

HQ:Headquarters – The nerve centre for planning and execution of operations

HRF:Helmand Reaction Force – 2 Apaches and a Chinook full of soldiers on standby at Bastion used to bolster any troops on the ground quickly

HumInt:Human Intelligence – intelligence provided by human sources; spies, snitches, etc.

I Bar:See Steering Cursor

ID:Identification

IED:Improvised Explosive Device – homemade bombs or multiple mines strapped together

IRA:Irish Republican Army – Northern Irish Para-military group

IRT:Incident Response Team – Apaches, Chinooks, doctors, medics and ATO responsible for the immediate recovery of personnel in danger or injured

ISAF:International Security Assistance Force – multi-national military force in Afghanistan

ISI:Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence – Pakistan’s Intelligence Agency

ISTAR:Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance

IX Battlegroup:The Information Exploitation Battlegroup – Magowan’s troops

JDAM:Joint Direct Attack Munition – Inertial Navigation and GPS guidance system bolted onto a 500 to 2000lb bomb to make it an accurate all-weather weapon

Joint Helicopter Command:The UK-based command headquarters and operating authority for all British military helicopters in the UK and abroad

JHF:JHF (A) – Joint Helicopter Force in Afghanistan – ‘Main’ at Kandahar and ‘Forward’ at Camp Bastion – the Afghanistan helicopter headquarters operating under authority for the JHC

JOC:Joint Operations Cell – the functioning control centre of operations in the Helmand province

JTAC:Joint Terminal Attack Controller – soldier responsible to his commander for the deliverance of air ordnance from combat aircraft onto a target. The airspace controller above a battle, normally callsigns Widow or Knight Rider

Klicks:Military slang for kilometres

KIA:Killed in action

Knight Rider:Callsign for the BRF JTAC’s

Lance Bombardier:Artillery Rank – the second rung on the ladder after private/marine

LCpl:Lance Corporal – rank – the second rung on the ladder after private/marine

Leakers:Taliban that are attempting to escape (leak) from a target area

Lima Charlie:Phonetic alphabet for LC – air speak for Loud and Clear

Loadie:Loadmaster responsible for passengers and equipment in military troop-carrying helicopters or transport aircraft

Longbow:The Longbow Radar is the Apache’s Fire Control Radar. It looks like a large Swiss cheese and sits on top of the main rotor system

LS:Landing Site

LSJ:Life Support Jacket – survival waistcoat

Lynx:British Army Light Battlefield Helicopter – used for movement of small teams

M230:The cannon on the underside of the Apache; 30mm chain fed

ManPADS:Man Portable Aid Defence System – shoulder-launched heat-seeking missile

MC:Military Cross – awarded in recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land.

MI6:Military Intelligence Section 6 – nickname for the British Government’s Secret Intelligence Service

MIA:Missing in action

MiD:Mentioned in Despatches – award for gallantry or otherwise commendable service

MIRC:Military Internet Relay Chat

MoD:Ministry of Defence