Defence & Aerospace Glossary
62 terms covering military acronyms, defence industry terminology, and aerospace concepts.
Categories: Air Defence · Aircraft · CBRN · Electronics · Intelligence · Land Systems · Naval · Navigation · Operations · Procurement · Services · Systems · Technology · Weapons
A
- AAM Weapons
- Air-to-Air Missile. A missile fired from an aircraft to destroy another aircraft.
- AESA Electronics
- Active Electronically Scanned Array. A type of phased array radar that uses multiple small transmit/receive modules.
- AEW&C Aircraft
- Airborne Early Warning and Control. Aircraft equipped with radar for detecting other aircraft and coordinating battle management.
- AFV Land Systems
- Armoured Fighting Vehicle. A military vehicle protected by armour and armed with weapons.
- AGM Weapons
- Air-to-Ground Missile. A missile designed to be launched from aircraft against ground targets.
- APC Land Systems
- Armoured Personnel Carrier. A vehicle designed to transport infantry safely on the battlefield.
- ASW Naval
- Anti-Submarine Warfare. Operations conducted to deny the enemy effective use of submarines.
- ATGM Weapons
- Anti-Tank Guided Missile. A missile designed primarily to destroy heavily armoured tanks and vehicles.
C
- C2 Systems
- Command and Control. The exercise of authority and direction over military forces.
- C4ISR Systems
- Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. Integrated military systems.
- CIWS Naval
- Close-In Weapon System. A point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming threats.
- COTS Procurement
- Commercial Off-The-Shelf. Products available in the commercial marketplace that can be bought and used in defence applications.
E
- ECM Electronics
- Electronic Countermeasures. Actions taken to prevent or reduce enemy use of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- EO/IR Electronics
- Electro-Optical/Infrared. Sensors that detect electromagnetic radiation in visible and infrared spectrums.
- EW Electronics
- Electronic Warfare. Military action involving the use of electromagnetic energy to control the spectrum.
F
- FFBNW Procurement
- Fitted For But Not With. Equipment positions designed into a platform but not initially installed.
- FMS Procurement
- Foreign Military Sales. A US government program for transferring defence articles and services to allies.
G
- GBAD Air Defence
- Ground-Based Air Defence. Land-based systems designed to protect against aerial threats.
- GPS Navigation
- Global Positioning System. Satellite-based navigation system providing location and time information.
H
- HUMINT Intelligence
- Human Intelligence. Intelligence gathered from human sources.
I
- ICBM Weapons
- Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. A ballistic missile with a range greater than 5,500 kilometers.
- IED Weapons
- Improvised Explosive Device. A bomb constructed from non-military components.
- IFF Electronics
- Identification Friend or Foe. A system to identify aircraft, vehicles, or forces as friendly or hostile.
- IFV Land Systems
- Infantry Fighting Vehicle. An armoured vehicle designed to carry infantry and provide fire support.
- INS Navigation
- Inertial Navigation System. Navigation using accelerometers and gyroscopes to calculate position.
- IOC Procurement
- Initial Operational Capability. The first achievement of the ability to employ a weapon or system.
- ISR Intelligence
- Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. Coordinated activities to acquire and process information.
- ITAR Procurement
- International Traffic in Arms Regulations. US regulations controlling defence-related exports.
J
- JDAM Weapons
- Joint Direct Attack Munition. A guidance kit converting unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions.
L
- LAWS Systems
- Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems. Weapons that can select and engage targets without human intervention.
- LCS Naval
- Littoral Combat Ship. A class of small surface vessels designed for operations near shore.
- LIDAR Electronics
- Light Detection and Ranging. A remote sensing method using laser light to measure distances.
- LRASM Weapons
- Long Range Anti-Ship Missile. A precision-guided anti-ship missile.
M
- MALE Aircraft
- Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance. A class of UAV operating at medium altitudes for extended periods.
- MANPADS Air Defence
- Man-Portable Air-Defense System. A shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile system.
- MBT Land Systems
- Main Battle Tank. A heavily armoured tracked vehicle designed for front-line combat.
- MRAP Land Systems
- Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected. Vehicles designed to survive IED attacks and ambushes.
- MRO Services
- Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul. Services to maintain military equipment in operational condition.
N
- NBC CBRN
- Nuclear, Biological, Chemical. Refers to weapons of mass destruction and protective measures.
- NCW Systems
- Network-Centric Warfare. Military doctrine linking sensors, decision makers, and weapons into a network.
O
- OEM Procurement
- Original Equipment Manufacturer. The company that originally manufactured a product.
P
- PGM Weapons
- Precision-Guided Munition. A weapon designed to precisely hit a specific target.
- Prime Contractor Procurement
- The main contractor responsible for a defence project, managing subcontractors and delivery.
R
- R&D Services
- Research and Development. Activities undertaken to develop new products or improve existing ones.
- RCS Electronics
- Radar Cross-Section. A measure of how detectable an object is by radar.
- ROE Operations
- Rules of Engagement. Directives specifying circumstances under which forces may engage.
- RPV Aircraft
- Remotely Piloted Vehicle. An unmanned aircraft controlled by an operator at a remote location.
S
- SAM Air Defence
- Surface-to-Air Missile. A missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft.
- SAR Electronics
- Synthetic Aperture Radar. A form of radar used to create images of objects or terrain.
- SIGINT Intelligence
- Signals Intelligence. Intelligence gathered from interception of signals.
- SLBM Naval
- Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile. A ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines.
- SEAD Operations
- Suppression of Enemy Air Defences. Military actions to neutralize enemy air defence systems.
- Stealth Technology
- Technology to make aircraft, ships, and missiles less visible to radar and other detection methods.
T
- THAAD Air Defence
- Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. A US anti-ballistic missile defense system.
- Tier 1 Supplier Procurement
- A supplier that provides components directly to the prime contractor.
- Tier 2 Supplier Procurement
- A supplier that provides components to Tier 1 suppliers rather than directly to the prime.
U
- UAV Aircraft
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. An aircraft without a human pilot aboard, commonly called a drone.
- UCAV Aircraft
- Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle. A UAV equipped with weapons for combat missions.
- UGV Land Systems
- Unmanned Ground Vehicle. A vehicle operating on the ground without an onboard human.
- USV Naval
- Unmanned Surface Vehicle. An unmanned vehicle operating on the water surface.
- UUV Naval
- Unmanned Underwater Vehicle. An unmanned vehicle operating underwater.
V
- VTOL Aircraft
- Vertical Take-Off and Landing. Aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically.