Descriptionary

Corsair II an A-7; a single-seat, single-turbofan engine, all-weather light attack aircraft designed to operate from aircraft carriers, armed with cannon and capable of carrying a wide assortment of nuclear and nonnuclear missiles.

crash locator beacon an automatic beacon device to aid forces in locating a crashed aircraft.

critical altitude the maximum altitude an aircraft can fly and still function properly.

cruising level the altitude maintained throughout most of a flight.

curve of pursuit the curved path described by a fighter plane making an attack on a moving target while holding the proper aiming allowance.

DADCAP dawn and dusk combat air patrol.

daisy cutter see BLU-82.

dart a training target towed by a jet and fired upon by a practicing fighter aircraft.

day air defense fighter a fighter aircraft capable of engaging in combat only in daylight and in clear weather.

DC-130 see Hercules.

Delta Dagger a single-engine turbojet all-weather interceptor with supersonic speed and armed with Falcon missiles. Also known as an F-102A.

Delta Dart a supersonic, single-engine turbojet all- weather interceptor armed with Falcon missiles with nonnuclear warheads and Genie rockets with nuclear warheads. Also known as an F-106.

destroy, beam in air intercept, a code meaning "the interceptor will be vectored to a standard beam attack for interception and destruction of the target."

destroy, cutoff in air intercept, a code meaning "intercept and destroy. Command vectors will pro­duce a cutoff attack."

destroy, frontal in air intercept, a command mean­ing "the interceptor will be vectored to a standard frontal attack for interception and destruction of the target."

destroy, stern in air intercept, a command mean­ing "the interceptor will be vectored to a standard stern attack for interception and destruction of the target."

diplomatic authorization authority for a flight over or a landing on foreign soil obtained through diplo­matic channels.

dispenser on fighter aircraft, a container used to carry and release submunitions.

ditching a controlled crash-landing in the water.

drone an unmanned, remote-controlled aircraft used primarily for reconnaissance.

droop stop a device that helps prevent helicop­ter rotor blades from drooping excessively after the engine has been shut off.

dropmaster the person in charge of the preparation, inspection, loading, lashing, and ejecting of materials for an airdrop.

drop message a message dropped by air to a ground unit.

duck in air intercept, a code meaning "trouble headed your way."

dumb bomb any unguided bomb.

dummy run a practice bombing run.

E-1B see Tracer.

E-2 see Hawkeye.

EA-6A see Intruder.

EA-6B see Prowler.

Eagle a twin-engine supersonic, turbofan, all- weather tactical fighter employing a variety of weap­ons and capable of long-range missions through in­flight refueling. Also known as an F-15.

ejection the emergency escape from an in-flight air­craft by means of an independently propelled seat or capsule.

ejection, sequenced a system that ejects crew mem­bers one at a time in an emergency situation, to avoid midair collisions.

elevator in air intercept, a code meaning "take alti­tude indicated."

emergency scramble in air intercept, a code mean­ing "carrier addressed immediately launch all avail­able fighter aircraft as combat air patrol."

endurance the time an aircraft can continue flying without refueling.

engage to fire upon an enemy aircraft.

escort an aircraft assigned to protect other aircraft.

extraction parachute an auxiliary parachute used to release, extract, and deploy cargo from aircraft in flight.

F-4 see Phantom II.

F-5A/B see Freedom Fighter.

F-14 see Tomcat.

F-15 see Eagle.

F-16 see air combat fighter.

F-35 Lightning II a joint strike fighter jet.

F-100 see Super Sabre.

F-101 see Voodoo.

F-102A see Delta Dagger.

F-104 see Starfighter.

F-105 see Thunderchief.

F-106 see Delta Dart.

F-111 a twin-engine, supersonic turbofan, all- weather tactical fighter armed with nuclear or non- nuclear weapons and capable of taking off from or landing on short runways.

F-117A see Stealth Fighter.

F/A-22 Raptor the most advanced tactical jet fighter in the United States air arsenal, noted for its ability to carry air-to-air missiles internally in order to maintain its stealthiness.

faded in air intercept, a code meaning "contact has disappeared from reporting station's scope, and any position information given is estimated."

faker a friendly aircraft simulating a hostile aircraft in training exercises.