Aviation Terms
There are currently 10 terms in this directory beginning with the letter A.
AAA/Triple A
Anti-Aircraft Artillery, cannons and machine guns designed for anti- aircraft use from the ground.
ACM
Air Combat Maneuvering, a term encompassing maneuvers primarily within visual range combat, intending to bring an aircraft into a good shooting position in air-to-air combat.
AIM-120
Later generation air-to-air radar-guided missile, considered one of the best missiles in the world. Guided by Active Radar Homing.
AIM-7
An early generation air-to-air radar-guided missile, poorly received when it was introduced. Improved and upgraded over the years until it became adequate in the 1980s. Guided by Semi-Active Radar Homing.
AIM-9
An infrared heat-seeking short-range air-to-air missile. Earlier versions can only track a tail-on aspect due to seeker limits, while later versions have an all-aspect capability, with the X version being the most advanced to date, with thrust vectoring.
AIR
Air Inflatable Retarder, a fin kit similar to the Snakeye, but instead using a ballute to slow down. Cheaper and can be used at greater speeds than the older Snakeye fin kit.
AK47/AK-47
A reference toward the Avtomat Kalashnikova (lit. Kalashnikov's Automatic Device) assault rifle, generally inaccurate. AK, AKS, AKM, AKMS, AK-74 generally refer to this weapon and its derivatives, despite stark differences between them.
ARH
Active Radar Homing, a radar guidance method where the missile contains its own radar to guide itself to its target. Generally requires the launching unit to illuminate the target until it can activate its own radar.