Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing

by Tom Clancy

  JSOW AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon. A 1,000-pound glide bomb with 25-mile range, using INS/GPS guidance, intended to become operational in the late 1990s. The Air Force verson will carry six BLU-108s.

  Joint Stars Joint Surveillance and Targeting Attack Radar System. An Army/Air Force program to deploy about 20 Boeing E-8C aircraft equipped with powerful side-looking synthetic aperture radar to detect moving ground targets at long range. Two E-8A prototypes rushed to Saudi Arabia were very successful in Desert Storm night operations.

  JTF Joint Task Force. A military unit composed of elements of two or more services, commanded by a relatively senior officer. JTFs may be organized for a specific mission, or maintained as semi-permanent organizations, such as the anti-drug JTF-4 based in Florida.

  JTIDS Joint Tactical Information Distribution System. Planned replacement for obsolete existing U.S. and some NATO air, land, and sea high-capacity radio data links. JTIDS operates in the L-band (960-1215 MHz) using frequency-hopping and encryption. Maximum range is 300 to 500 miles. JTIDS allows units with dissimilar computer systems to share sensor, position, weapon, and other data to construct a unified tactical situation display.

  KARI The Iraqi Integrated Air Defense System, combining French and Soviet radars, missiles, fighter aircraft, and command, control, and communications systems. Largely neutralized during the Desert Storm air campaign, it may have been partially rebuilt after the war. Name said to be derived from Irak (french for Iraq) spelled backwards.

  KC-10 Extender Heavy tanker/transport based on Douglas DC-10 wide-body commercial airliner. There are fifty-nine aircraft in service, some modified with drogue refueling hose reel as well as tail boom. Three CF6 turbofan engines. Maximum takeoff weight 590,000 lbs.

  Knot Nautical miles per hour. Often used by U.S. Air Force and Navy to measure aircraft speeds, particularly in the subsonic range. One knot equals one nautical mile per hour.

  LANTIRN Low Altitude Navigation Targeting Infrared for Night. A pair of pods mounted on the F-15E and certain F-16C/D aircraft. The AAQ-13 Navigation Pod combines a forward-looking infrared sensor and a terrain-following radar. The AAQ-14 Targeting Pod combines a forward-looking infrared and laser target designator. Entire System is built by Lockheed Martin and tightly integrated with the aircraft’s flight control and weapons delivery software.

  LGB Laser-guided bomb.

  “Loose Deuce” A two-aircraft formation consisting of a lead and a wingman, separated by a relatively large horizontal and vertical distance, but capable of mutual support and communication.

  M-61 Vulcan Six-barreled rotary (“Gatling”) 20mm cannon used as standard weapon on U.S. aircraft. Very high rate of fire. Also mounted on Army vehicles and Navy ships for short-range anti-aircraft defense.

  Mach The speed of sound at sea level (760 feet per second). An aircraft’s Mach number is dependent on altitude, since sound travels faster in a denser medium. Named for Ernst Mach (1838-1916), Austrian physicist.

  Maverick AGM-65 family of air-to-surface missiles, produced since 1971 by Hughes and Raytheon with a variety of guidance and warhead configurations.

  MFD Multi-Function Display. A small video monitor or flat panel display on an aircraft control panel that allows the operator to display and manipulate different kinds of sensor information, status indications, warnings, and system diagnostic data.

  MiG Russian acronym for the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau, developers of some of the greatest fighter aircraft in history, including the MiG-17 and MiG- 29. Survived the breakup of the Soviet Union, and is actively competing in the global arms market.

  MiG-23 Soviet single-turbojet, single-seat variable geometry fighter. Widely exported in large numbers with many variants. A 23mm cannon and up to six missile rails. First flight in 1967. MiG-27 strike fighter is similar, but radar is replaced with laser rangefinder/designator. NATO reporting name is Flogger. No longer in production.

  MIL-STD-1553 U.S. Military Standard that defines cable specifications, connectors, and data formats for a digital data-bus, or high-speed network for aircraft, naval, or ground-based electronic systems. One of the most successful standards in aviation history.

  MRC Major Regional Contingency. Current Pentagon euphemism for small war or crisis requiring intervention of U.S. military forces as directed by the President.

  MRE Meals, Ready to Eat. Military field rations in individual serving packs. Eaten by Air Force personnel on deployment until regular dining facilities can be constructed. Humorously known as “Meals Rejected by Ethiopians.”

  Nautical mile 6,076 feet. Not to be confused with Statute Mile, which is 5,280 feet. The historical reasons for the difference would be tedious to explain.

  NBC Nuclear, Biological, Chemical. General term for weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear bombs or weapons designed to disperse radioactive material, toxic gases, liquids, or powders, and infectious microorganisms or biological toxins. Forbidden by many international treaties that have been widely ignored.

  NORAD North American Air Defense Command. Joint U.S.-Canadian headquarters located inside Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, responsible for air defense of North America. CINCNORAD is also the Commander of U.S. Space Command.

  NRO National Reconnaissance Office. Formerly super-secret intelligence agency established in late 1950s within the Department of Defense, not officially acknowledged to exist until 1990s. Responsible for procurement, operation, and management of various types of reconnaissance satellites. A separate organization, the Central Imagery Office (CIO), is responsible for processing, interpretation, and dissemination of satellite imagery.

  O&M Operations and Maintenance. A major budget category for most military units.

  Optempo Operational Tempo. Subjective measure of the intensity of military operations. In combat high optempo can overwhelm the enemy’s ability to respond, at the risk of burning out your own forces. In peacetime a high optempo can adversely affect morale and exhaust budgeted funds.

  Ordnance Weapons, ammunition, or other consumable armament. Frequently misspelled.

  PAA Primary Aircraft Authorized. The number of planes allocated to a unit for the performance of its operational mission. PAA is the basis for budgeting manpower, support equipment, and flying hours. In some cases, a unit may have fewer aircraft because of delivery schedule slippage or accidents. Units may also have more aircraft than their PAA, such as trainers, spare “maintenance floats,” or inoperable “hangar queens.”

  PAO Public Affairs Officer. Military staff officer responsible for media relations, coordination with civil authorities, VIP escort duties, and similar chores.

  Pave Penny A laser spot tracker pod originally used on Air Force A-10 and A-7 aircraft for delivery of laser-guided bombs. This simple device has no laser target designator, so targets must be designated by another aircraft. Pods from retired A-7s are currently being rebuilt for installation on F-16s.

  Pave Pillar Air Force program for the development of a new generation of modular electronic components for new-generation combat aircraft.

  Pave Tack An early laser-target designator pod developed by Ford Aeronutronic (now Loral) used on the F-111 and other aircraft.

  Paveway Generic term for laser-guided Mk 80-series bombs.

  PGM Precision-Guided Munition. Commonly called a “smart bomb.”

  Pitch Change of an aircraft’s attitude relative to its lateral axis (a line drawn from left to right through the center of gravity). Pitch up and the nose rises; pitch down and the nose drops.

  “Pucker Factor” Flight crew anxiety level. Typically related to highly stressful combat situations such as major aircraft system malfunctions while under fire from enemy missiles.

  PVO Protivo-vozdushnoye Ogranicheniye Strany, Russian for anti-air defense. The independent branch of the former Soviet, now Russian, armed forces charged with homeland defense against enemy bombers and ballistic missiles.

  Pylon A structure attached to the wing or fuselage of an aircraft that supp
orts an engine, fuel tank, weapon, or external pod. The pylon itself may be removable, in which case it is attached to a “hard point” that provides a mechanical and electrical interface.

  RAM Radar-Absorbing Material. Metal or metal-oxide particles or fibers embedded in synthetic resin applied as a coating or surface treatment on radar-reflective areas of a vehicle in order to reduce its radar cross section. A particular RAM formulation may be specific to a narrow band of the radar frequency spectrum.

  RC-135V Rivet Joint Program name for electronic reconnaissance aircraft, operated by 55th Wing based at Offut AFB, Nebraska. Used in Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

  Red Flag Regularly scheduled (about five per year) combat squadron training exercises held at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Every crew flies ten different missions on a highly instrumented range.

  Red Horse U.S. Air Force engineering units (of squadron/battalion size) equipped and trained for rapid construction or repair of runways and airbase facilities.

  Revetment An area adjacent to a runway or taxiway, surrounded by a protective wall or mound of earth, where aircraft may be dispersed for temporary shelter, refueling or rearming.

  RFMDS Red Flag Measurement and Debrief System. Electronic monitoring and recording system at Nellis AFB used to evaluate performance and tactics of aircraft participating in training exercises.

  ROE Rules of Engagement. Guidance, often determined at the highest levels of government, regarding how and when flight crews may employ their weapons. In air-to-air combat, ROE usually specify specific criteria for identifying a non-friendly aircraft as hostile. In air-to-ground combat, ROE usually forbids attacking targets likely to involve significant collateral damage to civilian populations or religious sites. Regardless of the ROE, the right of self-defense against direct armed attack is never denied.

  Roll Change of an aircraft’s attitude relative to its longitudinal axis (a line drawn from nose to tail through the center of gravity). Roll to port and the aircraft tilts to the left; roll to starboard and it tilts to the right. Roll also describes a class of aerobatic maneuvers, such as the barrel roll.

  RWR Radar Warning Receiver. An electronic detector tuned to one or more hostile radar frequencies and linked to an alarm that alerts the pilot to the approximate direction, and possibly the type, of threat. Similar in concept to automotive police radar detectors. Also known as a RHAW (Radar Homing and Warning Receiver).

  S-60 Soviet 57mm anti-aircraft gun. Highly mobile. Very lethal at low altitudes, it may be radar or optically aimed.

  SA-2 Soviet surface-to-air missile. Introduced in the 1950s and frequently updated. Excellent performance at high altitude. Western reporting name is Guideline.

  SA-3 Soviet surface-to-air missile. Soviet designation is S-125 Neva. Western reporting name is Goa. Improved low-altitude performance. Operation since early 1960s.

  SA-6 Soviet surface-to-air missile. Western reporting name is Gainful. Semi-active radar homing. Proved highly effective in Egyptian service during 1973 Mid-east War.

  SA-8 Soviet short-range surface-to-air missile. Western reporting name is Gecko.

  SALT Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. One of a series of agreements beginning in 1972, between the United States and the former Soviet Union, designed to limit the number and type of nuclear delivery systems and warheads.

  SAM Surface-to-air missile. A guided missile with the primary mission of engaging enemy aircraft. Most SAMs use rocket propulsion and some type of radar or infrared guidance.

  SAR Search and Rescue (sometimes written as CSAR, Combat Search and Rescue). An urgent and dangerous mission to recover shot-down flight crew or survivors from enemy-controlled territory or waters. Typically involves very low-altitude covert helicopter flights with or without fighter escort.

  SAR Synthetic-Aperture Radar. An aircraft radar (or operating mode of a multi-function radar) that can produce highly accurate ground maps.

  SCUD Western reporting name for the Soviet R-11 (SCUD-A) and R-17 (SCUD-B) short-range ballistic missile. Based largely on World War II German technology. Range of 110-180 miles with 1,000 kg./2,200 lb. warhead. Inaccurate inertial guidance. Can be transported and erected for launch by large truck. Widely exported to Iraq, North Korea, and other Soviet client states. Iraq modified basic SCUD design to produce longer-ranged Al Abbas and Al Hussein missiles with much smaller warheads.

  SEAD Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses. This requires enticing the enemy to light up search and track radars, launch SAMs, or fire anti-aircraft guns, which can then be target for destruction or neutralization by jamming and other countermeasures. SEAD was a primary mission of Wild Weasel aircraft. With the retirement of the remaining F-4G Wild Weasels, the SEAD mission will be taken over by specially trained and equipped F-16s.

  SIGINT Signal Intelligence. Interception, decoding, and analysis of enemy communications traffic.

  Skunk Works® Lockheed’s Burbank, California, Advanced Development group, created during World War II by engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. Developed the U-2, SR-71, F-117, and other secret aircraft. The name and skunk cartoon logo are copyrighted by Lockheed.

  Slat A long, narrow movable control surface, usually along the leading edge of the wing, to provide additional lift during takeoff.

  Slave Mode Any system mode that causes the sensor of a weapon to lock onto a target being tracked by the sensor onboard the aircraft. For example, the infrared seeker on a Sidewinder missile can be “slaved” to a target tracked by the aircraft’s radar.

  SNECMA Societe Nationale d’Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d’Avions (National Aircraft Engine Research and Construction Company). French state-owned jet engine builder; financially troubled but technically proficient.

  Sortie The basic unit of airpower: one complete combat mission by one aircraft. “Sortie generation” is the ability of an air unit to re-arm, re-fuel, and service aircraft for repeated missions in a given period.

  SOS Space Operations Squadron.

  Spar A long load-carrying beam in the structure of a wing.

  Sparrow AIM-7 family of long-range radar-guided air-to-air missiles produced by Raytheon. Variants include the ship-launched Sea Sparrow.

  Stall Sudden lost of lift when the airflow separates from the wing surface. May be caused by a variety of maneuvers, such as climbing too steeply with insufficient thrust. “Compressor stall” is a different phenomenon that occurs inside a turbine engine.

  START Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. One of a series of agreements between the United States and the former Soviet Union to reduce the number of deployed nuclear delivery systems and warheads.

  Stealth A combination of design features, technologies, and materials, some highly classified, designed to reduce the radar, visual, infrared, and acoustic signature of an aircraft, ship, or other vehicle to the point where effective enemy detection and countermeasures are extremely unlikely before the vehicle has completed its mission and escaped. The F-117A is the best known modern example.

  STOVL Short Takeoff, Vertical Landing. Capability of certain vectored-thrust aircraft, notably the Harrier. Short takeoff is assisted by a fixed “ski-jump” ramp.

  T-38 Talon Twin-turbojet advanced trainer; over 1,100 built by Northrop. Entered service in 1961. First supersonic aircraft specifically designed as a trainer.

  T-3A Firefly Lightweight two-seat propeller-driven trainer based on British Slingsby T67. Used by U.S. Air Force for screening of prospective pilots. Top speed 178 mph., ceiling 19,000 ft.

  TAC Tactical Air Command. Former major command of the U.S. Air Force responsible for most fighter aircraft wings. Merged into Air Combat Command in 1992.

  TACC Tactical Air Control Center. A staff organization responsible for planning and coordinating air force combat and support operations in a given area.

  TDY Temporary Duty. A military assignment to a location away from one’s normal duty station. TDY generally involves separation from family and entitles personnel to supplementary pa
y and allowances.

  TELAR Transporter Erector Launcher and Radar. A tracked or wheeled vehicle, typically of Soviet design, equipped to carry and launch one or more surface-to-air missiles. Often equipped with optical tracking systems and command, control, and communications electronics.

  TERCOM Terrain Contour Matching. A cruise missile guidance concept that relies on a radar altimeter and a stored digital map of elevations along the line of flight. Flight plans require detailed and lengthy preparation, and cannot be generated for relatively flat, featureless terrain.

  TFR Terrain-Following Radar. A low-powered radar that scans the terrain ahead during low-level flight and either automatically commands the flight-control system to avoid hitting the ground, or sounds a warning to the pilot to pull up when necessary.

  TFW Tactical Fighter Wing. A unit of three fighter squadrons and supporting units.

  TO&E Table of Organization and Equipment. The official document that prescribes in detail the structure and authorized assets of a military unit.

  Top Gun The U.S. Navy Fighter Weapon School, scheduled to relocate from NAS Miramar, California, to NAS LeMoore, California. Responsible for training fleet pilots in air-combat maneuvering.

  TSSAM Tri-service Standoff Attack Missile (AGM-137). A stealthy, long-range precision-guided munition for Air Force, Navy, and Army (ground-launched) use; cancelled in 1994 when the projected unit cost exceeded $2 million. Air-launched version intended for B-1B, B2, B-52, F-16, and F-22 weighed about 2,300 lb./1,045 kg. with a range of less than 375 miles/600 km.

  U-2 High-altitude (over 90,000 ft./27,430 m.) reconnaissance aircraft originally developed in the 1950s for the Central Intelligence Agency by Lockheed. Single J57, later J75, turbojet. Many variants with diverse sensors operated by the USAF and NASA (civilian research).

  UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Also known as a drone or RPV (remotely piloted vehicle). A recoverable pilotless aircraft, either remotely controlled over a radio-data link, or pre-programmed with an advanced autopilot. The U.S. Air Force has tended to resist any use of UAVs, except as targets, because they take jobs away from pilots. There are also real safety concerns about operating UAVs and manned aircraft in the same airspace, since UAVs are usually small and hard to see.