Brevity Words
ANGELS
Height in thousands of feet.
ARCING
Turning at less than optimum rates.
ATTACK/ATTACKING ( )
Indicates air-to-surface attack on specified ground target.
BANDIT
Confirmed hostile aircraft.
BEAM/BEAMER/BEAMING (direction)
Target flying at right angle to pilot�s flight path. This is an attempt
to counter doppler radar tracking.
BEARING (direction)
Three digit number indicating direction in degrees ranging from 001-360.
( )BENT
Indicated system or subsystem is inoperative.
BINGO
Pre-briefed level of fuel at which flight will end or abort mission.
BLIND
No visual contact of friendly aircraft. Opposite of �VISUAL�.
BLOWTHROUGH
Directive/informative call indicating that aircraft will fly straight
through the merge and not turn to engage.
BOGEY
Unknown aircraft
BOX
Targets in square or offset square formation.
BRA
Bearing, range, altitude.
BRACKET
Offensive maneuver in which two aircraft split to pass on either side of
the target aircraft.
BREAK (up/down/left/right)
Directive to perform an immediate maximum performance turn in direction
indicated. A defensive maneuver.
BUDDY SPIKE (direction)
Indication that you are being radar tracked by a friendly aircraft. Given
as an warning not to fire.
BUGOUT (direction)
Leaving the fight.
CAP/CAP (location)
Combat air patrol or orbit at specified point.
CHECK ( )
Directive to momentarily monitor specified item or system. No response
required if normal.
CHECK LEFT/RIGHT ( )
Alter course to new heading or by 30 degrees if not specifed. For
example.
Formation is heading 060. Flight lead calls, �Check left�. New
heading is
030. This call is acknowledged immediately.
CLEAN
No radar contacts.
CLEAR
No enemy aircraft are a threat to your rear quadrant.
CONTACT
Radar/IR contact. Follow with BRA information. If this is in response to
a
previous call, simply say, �Contact, your call.�
DRAGGING
Target maneuvering to 60 degrees or less aspect.
ENGAGED
Maneuving to achieve a kill. Implies radar and/or visual contact of
target.
EXTEND LEFT/RIGHT
Gain energy and distance for possible re-entry into fight.
FAST
Target speed is estimated above 600 knots.
FENCE
Boundary between friendly and hostile territory.
FENCE CHECK
Set switches as appropriate to territory. When entering hostile
territory,
weapons are hot.
FOX
Launched air to air missile.
FOX ONE
Launch of semi-active RADAR guided missile such as AIM-7 Sparrow.
FOX TWO
Launch of IR guided missile such as AIM-9 Sidewinder.
FOX THREE
Launch of active RADAR guided missile such as AIM-54 Phoenix or AMRAAM.
FURBALL
Turn fight involving multiple aircraft.
GADGET
Fire control radar.
GORILLA
Large force of undetermined numbers and formation.
GREEN (direction)
Direction determined to be clearest of air-to-air and/or surface-to-air
activity.
HEADS UP
Directive call to keep visual look out.
HIGH
Targets above ANGELS 30 (30,000 feet).
HOME PLATE
Home airfield.
HOOK LEFT/RIGHT
Directive/informative call to approach target on indicated side.
JOKER
Time to land.
MUD SPIKE (direction)
RWR indication of surface to air threat.
KNOCK IT OFF
Terminate engagement or intercept. Acknowledge this call.
NAKED
No RWR indications. Opposite of �SPIKE�.
NO JOY
No visual contact of target, bogey or bandit. Opposite of �TALLY�.
POPEYE
Flying in clouds or limited visibility.
POWER
Reminder to set throttles appropriately due to IR threat.
SPIKE (direction)
RWR indications of airborne threat.
TALLY
Sighting of target, bogey or bandit. Opposite of �NO JOY�.
TURN RIGHT/LEFT (direction)
Turn to designated heading.
FORMAT
There are two types of communication, directive and informative. For
information calls the format is CALLSIGN, REPORT, DESCRIPTION. For example.
�Messy one, bogey two-five-zero, angels one-niner, headed west.� To
acknowledge this, the wing can simply say, �Messy Two� or simply �Two.
If he has amplifying information, he may say something like, �Two,
contact, composition single.�
For directive comm, the format is CALLSIGN, DIRECTIVE, DESCRIPTION.
Directive calls are typically given by the section or division leads. These
must be acknowledged. For example, �Messy one, check right.� Response
again is �Messy Two� or simply �Two�.
In
a division, the leader must have some way of specifying directive to both
sections and not simply his own. To accomplish this, use the term �flight�
with the callsign. For example:
�Messy flight, fence check.�
�Two.�
�Three.�
�Four.�
Now let�s look at a typical encounter for a section:
�Messy one, climb angels two zero.�
�Two.�
�Messy one, turn right 040.�
�Two.�
�Messy two, radar contact, zero-four-two, forty-five, angels one-seven.�
Radar contact at 042 degrees, 45 miles away at 17,000 feet.
�Messy one, contact your call, bogey.� No indication on NCTR of
friend.
�Messy one, check right.�
�Two.�
�Messy one, bogey, zero-three-five, thirty-five, angels eighteen.�
�Two, bogey heading two-seven-zero.�
�Messy one, bogey, zero-three-zero, twenty-eight.�
�Two.�
�Messy one, turn left three-six-zero.�
�Two.�
�Messy one, bogey, zero-two-zero, twenty-two, angels eighteen, single.�
�Two.�
�Messy one, blow-through for VID.�
�Two.�
�Messy one, bogey zero-two-zero, fifteen, angels eighteen.�
�Two.�
�Messy one, bogey zero-two-zero, twelve, climbing now angels nineteen.�
�Two, still showing single.�
�Messy one, bogey zero-two-zero, eight, angels twenty.�
�Two.�
�Messy two, tally one heavy, zero-two-zero, five.�
�One. no joy.�
�Messy one, tally one, Badger.�
�Two.�
NOTE: You�ve probably noticed that the lead made a couple of calls
seemingly to himself. Assume I�m the wing lead. If I make an
informative
call, I�ll use my callsign first. If I make a directive call, I�ll
first
state who the order is directed to. For example:
�Messy One, Check left 20�
�Two.�
The above order is for the entire section. As a rule, the wing will
always
do exactly as the lead does unless otherwise directed. Here�s another
example:
�Messy Two, Check left 20�
�Two.�
Note that the above order is for the wing only. The leader will continue
on
present heading. It would probably help to add some amplifying
information
so the wing knows what the lead is thinking, but on the other hand, this
may be a pre-briefed tactic.
All of this will make sense when you get into division comm. Once you�re
in
a division, the leader needs to be able to differentiate his calls
between
what is intended for his section and what is intended for the entire
division. To this end, the lead will preface his calls:
�Messy Flight, right turn two-seven-zero�
�Two.�
�Three.�
�Four.�
Messy One and Messy Three are each a section lead. Just as Messy Two will
follow the lead of Messy One. Messy Four will follow Messy Three.
Sandman
