music in air intercept, a term meaning electronic jamming.
napalm powdered aluminum soap or similar compound used to gelatinize oil or gasoline for use in napalm bombs.
NATO airspace the airspace above any NATO nation and its territorial waters.
near miss a near collision with another aircraft in flight.
negative term meaning "no" in air communications.
night cap night combat air patrol.
no fly zone an area designated off-limits to aircraft, usually by military order.
no joy a code meaning "I have been unsuccessful," or "I have no information."
notice to airmen a notice containing information on any change in any airport facility, service, procedure, or hazard. Also called NOTAM.
offset bombing any bombing procedure that uses a reference or aiming point other than the actual target.
oranges, sour a code meaning "weather is unsuitable for aircraft mission." oranges, sweet a code meaning "weather is suitable for aircraft mission.
orbiting a word meaning circling, or circling and searching.
ordnance collective term for pyrotechnic weapons, including bombs, guns and ammunition, flares, smoke, and napalm.
Orion a four-engine, turboprop, all-weather, long- range, land-based antisubmarine aircraft capable of carrying an assortment of search radar, nuclear depth charges, and homing torpedoes. Also known as a P-3.
OV-IO see Bronco.
overshoot a landing that is aborted.
P-3 see Orion.
pan a code meaning the calling station has a very urgent message to transmit concerning the safety of a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle or of some person on board or within sight.
pancake a code meaning "land," or "I wish to land."
pathfinder aircraft an aircraft with a specially trained crew carrying drop zone/landing zone marking teams, target markers, or navigational aids and that precedes the main force to the drop zone or landing zone or target.
pattern bombing the uniform distribution of bombs over a particular area.
payload the cargo and passengers on a flight.
Phantom II a twin-engine, supersonic, multipurpose, all-weather jet fighter/bomber capable of operating from land or from aircraft carriers and armed with either nuclear or nonnuclear weapons. Also known as an F-4.
photoflash bomb a bomb designed to produce a brief and intense illumination for medium-altitude night photography.
pogo a code meaning "switch to communications channel number preceding 'pogo.' If unable to establish communications, switch to channel number following 'pogo.'"
point of no return the point at which an aircraft is incapable of returning to base due to a low fuel supply.
popeye a code meaning "in clouds or area of reduced visibility."
pounce a code meaning "I am in position to engage target."
precision bombing bombing directed at a specific target.
Provider an assault, twin-engine transport that can operate from short, unprepared landing strips to transport troops and equipment. Also known as a C-123.
Prowler a twin turbojet engine, quadruple crew, all- weather, electronic countermeasures aircraft designed to operate from aircraft carriers. Also known as an EA-6B.
prudent limit of endurance the time during which an aircraft can remain airborne and still retain a given safety margin of fuel.
punch a code meaning "you should very soon be obtaining a contact on the aircraft that is being intercepted."
purple a code meaning "the unit indicated is suspected of carrying nuclear weapons."
RA-5 see Vigilante.
radar picket radar picket combat air patrol.
radio beacon a radio transmitter that emits a distinctive signal used for the determination of bearings, courses, locations, and so on.
radio fix the location of an aircraft by determining the direction of radio signals coming to the aircraft from two or more sending stations, the locations of which are known.
reconnaissance a mission undertaken to obtain, by visual observation or other detection methods, information about the activities and resources of an enemy; or to secure data concerning the meteorological, hydrographic, or geographic characteristics of a particular area.
reconnaissance by fire disclosing an enemy's position by firing or shooting at its general vicinity and waiting for the flashes of return fire.
reconnaissance in force a mission designed to discover or test an enemy's strength.
RF-4 see Phantom II.
roll the rotation of an aircraft in flight. S-2 see Tracker. S-3 see Viking.
salvo the release or firing of all ordnance of a specific type simultaneously.
saunter a code meaning "fly at best endurance."
scan a code meaning "search sector indicated and report any contacts."
scram a code meaning "am about to open fire. Friendly units keep clear of indicated contact, bogey, of area."
scramble an order directing takeoff of aircraft as quickly as possible.
Sea Cobra a single-rotor, dual crew, light attack helicopter armed with a variety of machine guns, rockets, grenade launchers, and antitank missiles. Also known as an AH-1J.
Sea King a single rotor, medium-lift helicopter utilized for air/sea rescue and personnel and cargo transport in support of aircraft carrier operations. Some may be equipped for antisubmarine operations. Also known as an H-3.
Sea Knight a twin-rotor, medium-lift helicopter utilized for personnel and cargo transport. Also known as an H-46.
Sea Sprite a single-rotor light lift helicopter utilized for air/sea rescue, personnel and cargo transport, and antisubmarine operations from naval vessels. Also known as an H-2.
Sea Stallion a single-rotor heavy-lift helicopter utilized for personnel and cargo transport. Also known as a CH-53A.
sick a code meaning "equipment indicated is operating at reduced efficiency."
side-looking airborne radar an airborne radar, viewing at right angles to the axis of the vehicle, which produces a presentation of terrain or moving targets.
skip bombing a method of aerial bombing in which a bomb is released from such a low altitude that it slides or glances along the surface of the water or ground and strikes the target at or above water level or ground level.
skip it a code meaning "cease attack"; "do not attack."
Skyhawk a single-engine, turbojet attack aircraft designed to operate from aircraft carriers, and capable of delivering nuclear or nonnuclear weapons, providing troop support, or conducting reconnaissance missions. It can act as a tanker and can itself be air refueled. Also known as an A-4.
Skytote a small unmanned airplane that takes off like a helicopter and can deliver supplies to troops in otherwise inaccessible locations, such as cliffs or rough terrain. It may also be used for surveillance.
snake mode a control made in which the pursuing aircraft flies a programmed weaving flight path to allow time to accomplish identification functions.