Christopher Haave: A-10s over Kosovo (illustrations removed)

FLEX—force level execution targeting cell (located within the CAOC)

FM—type of radio that uses frequency modulation; used by A-10 pilots primarily for interformation communication

FOV—field of view

fox mike—military phonetic alphabet expression for FM and commonly used to refer to the FM radio

frag—(1) the “fragmented order” which tasked unit aircraft, weapons, targets, and TOTs; (2) a lethal piece of warhead case that is explosively projected from the point of detonation to its impact point

FS—fighter squadron

FW fighter wing

GAU-8—A-10’s internal 30 mm cannon (Avenger)

GPS—Global Positioning System

Guard—a common emergency frequency that all pilots monitor

hard deck—the lowest altitude for operations allowed by the ROE

hardball—paved road

HARM—high-speed antiradiation missile (AGM-88)

heads-down—when the pilot concentrates on things inside the aircraft or looking outside through the binoculars, and is unable to clear the airspace for threats or other aircraft

hitting the tanker—aircrew jargon for rejoining on, connecting to, and taking fuel from a tanker

Hog—one of several A-10 nicknames; also Warthog and Hawg

HUD—head-up-display

IADS—integrated air defense system

ICAOC—interim combined air operations center (ICAOC-5 was located at Vicenza, Italy, and often referred to as the CAOC)

ID—to identify

IFF—identification, friend or foe; a system that uses a transponder response to an interrogating radar that indicates the host aircraft to be a friend (if code is set correctly) or foe (if not set correctly)

IIR—imaging infrared

INS—inertial navigation system

IP—initial point

IR—infrared

ISOPREP—isolated personnel report, which documents unique information on an aircrew to allow for positive ID during a SAR

ISR—intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance

JAOC—joint air operations center

JSTARS—joint surveillance, target attack radar system (E-8)

KEZ—Kosovo engagement zone, which included Kosovo and southeast Serbia

KLA—Kosovo Liberation Army (English) or Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosoves ([UCK] Albanian)

LANTRIN—low-altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night

LASTE—low altitude safety and target enhancement system used in the A-10

lead—the term for leader, as in two-ship flight lead

LGB—laser-guided bomb

LOC—lines of communication

MANPADS—man portable air defense systems, which include heat-seeking, shoulder-fired missiles

Maverick—AGM-65D is a large antiarmor imaginginfrared (IIR) guided missile with a 125 lb shaped charge warhead

MC—mission commander

MET—mission essential task list, which is a commander’s list of priority tasks, which help define their war-fighting requirements

MPC—mission planning cell

MR—mission ready, capable of flying assigned combat missions

MRE—meals ready to eat

MSL—altitude above mean sea level

MUP—Serb Interior Ministry police

NAEW—NATO airborne early warning aircraft, which used the call sign “Magic”

NATO—North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NBA—brevity term for the half of Kosovo east of 22 degrees east longitude

NCA—national command authorities, generally the president or secretary of defense

NFL—brevity term for the half of Kosovo west of 22 degrees east longitude

NM—nautical miles

NVG—night vision goggles

OAF—Operation Allied Force

OPCON—operational control

ORI—operational readiness inspection

OSC—on-scene commander for SAR operations outlaw brevity term for an aircraft that meets the enemy point of origin criteria

Pave Penny—a laser-spot recognition system that displays in the A-10 cockpit where a laser, from an external source, is designating

PERSCO—Personnel Accountability Team

pipper—center point of a gun/bomb sight

PLS—Personnel Locator System is the standard combat search-and-rescue system for the US military and NATO

POL—petroleum, oil, and lubricants

POW—prisoner of war

RAF—Royal Air Force

revets—brevity term for revetments

ROE—rule(s) of engagement

RTB—return to base

RTU—replacement training unit

RWR—radar warning receiver

SACEUR—supreme allied commander Europe

SAM—surface-to-air missile

SAN—naval SAM system

Sandy—call sign for fighters that control and support SAR operations

SAR—search and rescue

SEAD—suppression of enemy air defenses

secondary—additional explosion(s) caused by an initial explosion

shack—direct hit on a target

SHAPE—Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe

sky hooked—conserve fuel by optimizing speed and altitude for maximum range

SOS—Special Operations Squadron

spades—brevity term indicates an aircraft is not squawking the right IFF transponder code

SPINS—special instructions

splash—weapons impact and explosion

Stan/Eval—standardization and evaluation

steer-point—preplanned geographical reference points (e.g., steer-point alpha)

stepped—to depart the squadron for the aircraft at the prebriefed “step time,” a critical milestone in the sequence of getting a flight airborne on time

stepped-on—a simultaneous transmissions between two people, with neither hearing the other’s transmission strikers attack aircraft who employ weapons under the control of an AFAC

talk-on—a FAC’s description of the target and target area to assist an attacking aircraft to positively identify the target

taskings—missions fragged on the ATO

top three—designated senior squadron leadership, which includes the commander, ops officer, and another experienced person

triple-A—antiaircraft artillery

UAV—unmanned aerial vehicle (e.g., Predator, Laser Predator, and Hunter)

UCK—Ushtria Clirimtare E Kosoves (Albanian) and Kosovo Liberation Army ([KLA] English)

UHF—radio transmitting on ultra high frequencies and commonly referred to as “uniform”

UK—United Kingdom

UN—United Nations

undercast—a deck of clouds whose tops are below an aircraft’s altitude