Ed Macy: Hellfire

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

JTAC:Joint Terminal Attack Controller (Jaytac) – soldier responsible to his commander for the deliverance of air ordnance from combat aircraft onto a target. The airspace controller for a battle, normal callsign is Widow

KAF:Kandahar Airfield

KIA:Killed In Action

Klick:military slang for kilometre

LAV:Light Armoured Vehicles. Canadian 8x8 wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier

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

L-Hour:The moment the first helicopter lands on an LS during an operation

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. Often mans one of the crew-served guns

LOAL:Lock-On After Launch (low-al) – missile is launched then it acquires a laser lock

LOBL:Lock-on Before Launch (lobel) – the missile locks onto the laser energy when it is still on the Apache

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

LOS:Line of Sight

LS:Landing Site – any unprepared Helicopter Landing Site

LSJ:Life Support Jacket – survival waistcoat – escape jacket

LWRS:Laser Warning Receiving System

Lynx Mk7:British Army anti-tank helicopter armed with missiles on each side

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

MAWS:Missile Approach Warning System

Max chat:As fast as possible

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

MIA:Missing In Action

Mission Net:An encrypted frequency used to coordinate the mission during operations

MoD:Ministry of Defence

Monocle:The pink see-through glass mirror over an Apache pilot’s right eye that displays green symbology and images from the onboard computers and sights

Mosquito:Taliban slang for the Apache

MPD:Multi-Purpose Display – one of two five-inch screens on the console in each Apache cockpit

MPOG:Minimum pitch applied to the main rotor blades when on the ground

MPSM:Multi-Purpose Sub-Munition

Mujahideen:Afghan opposition groups – fought the Soviets during the Soviet invasion and each other in the Afghan Civil War – plural for the word mujahid meaning ‘struggler’

Multiple:A Northern Ireland patrol consisting of two or more bricks

MWR:Moral, Welfare and Recreation. Large US facility in which to unwind with the freely provided games, refreshments, TVs, Cinema, computers, gaming stations, DVDs and the internet

NATO:North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

Negative:Air speak for ‘no’

Negative Lima:No laser

Nimrod:A long-range maritime patrol aircraft modified for surveillance

NVG:Night Vision Goggles – night sights that magnify light by 40,000 times

OC:Officer Commanding – major in charge of a squadron or company group

OP:Observation Position

Ops:Operations – as in Ops tent, Ops room, Ops Officer or literally an operation

ORT:Optical Relay Tube – the large console in the front seat with PlayStation-type grips on either side

Pairs fire-and-manoeuvre:One static soldier aiming or shooting whilst his buddy manoeuvres to a position forward or backwards of him. They swap roles and do this continually manoeuvring with one foot on the ground at all times

Para:Nickname for a soldier from the Parachute Regiment or the Regiment itself

Pathfinder Platoon:a small unit designed and trained to fight behind enemy lines; 16 Air Assault Brigade’s equivalent of the SAS

Pax:Official military term for people

P-check:Northern Ireland term for checking the details of a car from its number plate

PFL:Practice Forced Landing – practising landing without the use of any engines

PID:Positive Identity

Pinzgauer:Small 4x4 all-terrain utility truck

PNVS:Pilot’s Night Vision System (Pinvis) – the thermal camera that sits above the TADS on the Apache’s nose

Port:Left-hand side of an aircraft or vessel

PRT:Provincial Reconstruction Team

PMI:Power Margin Indicator

QHI:Qualified Helicopter Instructor – flying instructor

RA:Royal Artillery

RAD:Ram Air Decelerator

Radome:A dome that shrouds a radar head

RAF:Royal Air Force

Rearm:Reload the Apache with ammunition

Red Top:Gazelles painted anti-collision Day-Glo red, flown by range officers whose job is to ensure that troops, vehicles and aircraft are within safety limits

Replen:Military slang for replenishment

RF:Radio Frequency

RIP:Relief In Place – Apache flights handing over the battle between each other, maintaining support to the ground troops

RMP:Royal Military Police – British Military Police

RoC:Rehearsal of Concept

ROE:Rules Of Engagement – law set by a country’s government laying down the rules governing how arms are brought to bear

ROZ:Restricted Operating Zone

RPG:Rocket Propelled Grenade – shoulder-launched rocket with a powerful grenade warhead on the front

RQHI:Regiment’s Qualified Helicopter Instructor

RTA:Road Traffic Accident

RTB:Return To Base

RTM322:Rolls-Royce engines for the Apache

RTS:Release To Service – the document that details what can and can’t be done with the Apache regarding flight, firing, etc.

RV:Rendezvous – designated meeting place

RWR:Radar Warning Receiver

SA80:British Forces rifle – 5.56 mm automatic

SAL:Semi-Active Laser

SAM:Surface-to-Air missile

SAS:Special Air Service – an independent British Special Forces unit of the British Army

SBS:Special Boat Service – an independent British Special Forces unit of the Royal Navy

Scratcher:Military slang for bed

SF:Special Forces – e.g. SAS and SBS

SFI:Senior Flying Instructor

Sitrep:Situational Report

Starboard:Right-hand side of an aircraft or vessel

Stinger:US-designed Surface-to-air ManPADs (Man Portable Air

Defence System) Missile. Taliban slang for any shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile

SupFAC:Supervisory Forward Air Controller