Sky Masters

AIM-54 — Phoenix radar-guided long-range air-to-air missile AIM-120 — Scorpion radar-guided medium-range air-to-air missile

ALARM — (F) Air Launched Alert Response Missile; aircraft- launched space booster

AMRAAM — AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile; next generation of “launch-and-leave” guided missiles

AMWS — Advanced Missile Warning System, next-generation radar/laser system to warn pilots of incoming antiaircraft missiles

ASEAN — Association of South East Asian Nations, cooperative council of nations, generally aligned to counter growing influence of China: Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia

ASIS — (F) Attack Systems Integration Station, the mission commander’s area (right seat) of a B-2 stealth bomber, responsible for navigation and attack

ASROC — nuclear-tipped antisubmarine rocket torpedoes, launched by Navy ships

ASTAB — automated status board monitors, part of AEGIS radar system

AWACS — Airbome Warning and Control System, the E-3 radar plane that can detect, track, identify, and control air targets at long range

AWG-9 — long-range, high-powered attack radar on Navy F-14 Tomcat fighters

BGAAWC — Battle Group Anti-Aircraft Warfare Center, the control center for all antiaircraft warfare in a Navy battle group

Bhangmeters — nuclear detonation detection system on satellites; detects and measures the flash of a nuclear detonation and estimates the strength of the warhead

BLU-96 — fuel-air explosive bomb, a weapon that disperses a fuel oil into the air; many times more powerful than a conventional bomb of similar size because it does not carry its own chemical oxidizers

BMEWS — Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, a radar system used to detect launch of submarine-launched ballistic missiles

BNS — Bombing and Navigation System

BUFF — Big Ugly Fat Fellow, nickname for the B-52 bomber C101 — long-range ship- or land-launched antiship missile built by China; Silkworm

C601 — long-range air-launched antiship missile built by China C801 — medium-range Chinese antiship missile

CAP — Combat Air Patrol, layers of fighters set up in an area to search for enemy attackers

CIC — Combat Information Center, the central communications and control area on board naval vessels

CINCSAC — Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command, the four-star Air Force officer responsible for strategic bombers, land-based strategic ballistic missiles, and long-range communications and reconnaissance aircraft

CINCSPACECOM — Commander in Chief, Space Command; the four-star Air Force officer responsible for all North American space activity including space surveillance, satellites, and rocket launches

COBRA DANE — long-range radar system designed to provide technical information on Soviet and Chinese ballistic missiles, especially impact points of warheads

COMSUBFLT — Commander, Submarine Fleet, the four-star Navy officer responsible for all American submarines

DARPA — Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, an office of the Department of Defense responsible for new weapon and aircraft research

DC-10 — wide-body cargo and passenger carrier made by McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft Co.

DCI — Director of Central Intelligence, responsible for all intelligence-gathering activities in the U.S.

DEFCON — Defense Condition; ranges from 5 (peace, no advanced readiness) to 1 (all-out war); denotes worldwide readiness of U.S. military forces

Defense Satellite Program (DSP) — name of agency that operates all military reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering satellites

DF — direction-finder, a radio beacon that allows other DF- equipped units to locate it

DR — dead reckoning; estimating position by best-known heading and speed information

Dreamland — unclassified nickname for military research area in south-central Nevada

DSCS — Defense Satellite Communications System, a network of voice and data satellites to connect military and civilian defense agencies all over the world

Durandal — French-made runway-cratering bomb that uses a rocket engine to burrow deep under a runway surface before detonating its high-explosive warhead

E-2 Hawkeye — naval carrier-based airborne radar plane used to monitor friendly aircraft and search for enemy aircraft and vessels

E-3 — Sentry airborne radar plane (see AW ACS)

E-4B NEACP — (pronounced “kneecap”); National Emergency Airborne Command Post, a heavily modified Boeing 747 airliner used as a communications plane for the President of the United States and other high-ranking government officials in wartime

EB-52 — (F) modified B-52 bomber with air defense and defense suppression weapons and equipment EC-18 — next-generation electronic intelligence aircraft operated by the Strategic Air Command