ACRONYMS AND TERMINOLOGY
AMARG—Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (the “Boneyard”), a U.S. Air Force facility near Tucson, Arizona, that stores, dismantles, and recovers parts from out-of-service aircraft
AOR—Area of Responsibility
AQI—Al-Qaeda in Iraq, an Iraqi offshoot of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist organization
“battle rattle”—personal equipment necessary for combat operations
bullseye—a designated point from which range and bearing information to an objective can be transmitted on open frequencies without revealing one’s own location
C4I—Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence
Çancaya—the seat of government of the Republic of Turkey
CHU—Containerized Housing Unit, a mobile living space resembling a cargo container used by U.S. soldiers in Iraq
CHUville—an area of a large number of CHUs
DFAC—Dining Facility
ECM—Electronic Countermeasures
EO—Electro-Optical, sensors that can electronically distribute or enhance optical images
FAA—Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. aviation regulatory agency
FOB—Forward Operating Base, a military base close to or in enemy territory
Fobbits—slang for staff and support personnel
Fobbitville—slang for the headquarters building
FPCON—Force Protection Condition, a rating of the enemy or terrorist threat level for a military installation (formerly THREATCON)
GP—Geneal Purpose (gravity bomb or vehicle)
IA—Iraqi Army
IED—Improvised Explosive Device
IIR—Imaging Infrared, a heat sensor with enough resolution to form images
ILS—Instrument Landing System, a radio beam system that can guide aircraft to land in severe weather conditions
IM—Instant Messaging, transmitting text messages between computers
IR—Infrared
Klicks—kilometers
KRG—Kurdistan Regional Government, the political organization that administers the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq
LLTV—Low-Light TV
LRU—Line Replaceable Units, components of aircraft systems that can be easily removed and replaced on the flight line if it malfunctions
Mahdis—slang term for any foreign fighter
Mission-adaptive technology—system of automatically shaping aircraft surfaces to allow greater flight control capabilities
Modes and codes—settings for different aircraft identification transponder radios
MTI—Moving Target Indication, a radar that tracks moving vehicles on the ground from a long distance
Netrusion—transmitting false data or programming into an enemy computer network via digital communications, datalinks, or sensors
NOFORN—No Foreign; a security classification that restricts foreign nationals from acessing data
PAG—Congress for Freedom and Democracy, an alternate name of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
PKK—Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, Kurdistan Workers' Party, a Kurdish separatist organization seeking to form a separate nation from the ethnic Kurdish regions of Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq; recognized as a terrorist organization by several nations and organizations
ROE—Rules of Engagement, the procedures and limitations for a combat operation
SAM—Surface-to-Air Missile
SEAD—Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, using jammers and weapons to destroy an enemy air defense weapon, radar, or command and control facilities
triple-A—antiaircraft artillery
WEAPONS
AGM-177 Wolverine—air-or ground-launched autonomous attack cruise missile
CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition—an air-dropped weapon that releases antipersonnel and antivehicle mines over a wide area
CBU-97 Sensor-Fuzed Weapon—an air-dropped weapon that can detect and destroy numerous armored vehicles at one time over a wide area
CID—Cybernetic Infantry Device, a manned robot with enhanced strength, armor, sensors, and combat capabilities
Cobra gunship—U.S. Army second-generation weaponized light helicopter
CV-22 Osprey—a medium transport aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter but can then swivel its rotors and fly like a fixed-wing aircraft
JDAM—Joint Direct Attack Munition, a bolt-on kit for gravity bombs that give them near-precision accuracy using Global Positioning System navigation information
KC-135R—latest model of the Boeing 707 family of aerial refueling tanker aircraft
Kiowa—light helicopter that carries advanced sensors used to spot targets for helicopter gunships
MIM-104 Patriot—American-made ground-based antiaircraft missile system
SA-14—second generation Russian-made shoulder-fired antiaircraft missile
SA-7—first generation Russian-made shoulder-fired antiaircraft missile
Slingshot—high-powered laser defensive system for aircraft
Stryker—an eight-wheeled multirole armored personnel carrier of the U.S. Army
Tin Man—a soldier outfitted with advanced body armor, sensors, and strength augmentation systems to increase his combat capabilities
XC-57 “Loser”—a flying-wing aircraft originally designed for the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Bomber, but converted to a multimission transport aircraft when the design lost the contract competition