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The Official F-15 Strike Eagle Handbook

by Richard Sheffield

APPENDIX C

Definition of Terms


ballistic

Usually refers to climbing straight up so that altitude is gained due to engine power, not wing lift.

bandit

An enemy aircraft.

belly-check

Usually a 360-degree roll to check for enemy aircraft while in the blind spot beneath the aircraft.

black boxes

Electronic components for various aircraft systems mounted in removable boxes to facilitate rapid change and maintenance.

bogey

An enemy aircraft.

bounce

To attack an enemy aircraft, usually from above.

canard

Small wings, usually mounted toward the nose of an aircraft to improve maneuverability.

chaff

Thin, light strips of foil used to create a large return on an enemy radar. Used to decoy radar-guided missiles.

closing

Reducing the distance between your aircraft and another.

cold-side

The underside or belly of an aircraft.

dogfighter

Aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat.

Doppler

A radar system that makes use of the shift in frequency of signals reflected from earth, ahead or behind an aircraft, to obtain its true airspeed and location.

envelope

The performance limits of an aircraft.

flare

Very hot decoys used to fool heat-seeking missiles.

gomer

An enemy.

guns kill

To destroy an enemy aircraft at close range with an onboard cannon—the most difficult type of kill.

hot-side

The top of an aircraft.

HOTAS

Hands on throttle and stick.

infrared

The portion of the energy spectrum felt as heat but not seen.

inverted

Flying an aircraft upside-down, or with the canopy toward the ground.

jamming

Emitting signals so strong that they overwhelm an enemy's detection system and render it useless.

jink

To make wild and rapid movements with the aircraft, both up and down and side to side, usually in an attempt to avoid an incoming missile or to evade an enemy aircraft.

klick

One kilometer or 1000 meters.

multibogey

More than one enemy aircraft in the combat area.

pipper

The circle or dot used for aiming the cannon or for lining up a bomb drop.

pod

Streamlined containers used to carry equipment under an aircraft's wing or belly.

punch out

To activate the ejection seat during flight.

retarded

A bomb that employs fins to increase its drag so it can be dropped from low altitude without catching the aircraft in the bomb blast.

signature

Characteristic "fingerprint" every type of radar equipment emits.

six

The 6 o'clock position behind an aircraft. Directly in front is 12 o'clock; directly behind is 6 o'clock.

slick

Bombs without retarding fins.

smart

A bomb with an onboard system that can identify a target and adjust its flight path to ensure a hit.

stall

A condition in which there isn't enough air moving over an aircraft's wing to produce adequate lift to keep the aircraft under control.

wild weasel

An aircraft assigned the mission of leading an attack and identifying and destroying SAM sites.

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