Brevity Codes and Acronyms

The brevity codes and slang listed here is a non-exhaustive list of codes used for tactical communication between fighters in operations. The point is to provide clear and concise communication with limited confusion on what each other is trying to say. However, in the moment, if you forget the brevity code it's always better to just say what you mean to say than pause to figure out the code.

Situational Awareness Calls

Title	Definition	Aliases
Bingo	At my current fuel state I must begin to egress to ensure a safe return to base
Blind	I do not see you/another friendly aircraft/ground unit. Opposite of Visual.	No Joy
Buddy Spike	I am being locked by a friendly aircraft.
Commit	I (or my flight) intend to engage the enemy group(s) ahead of us.
Defending	I am being shot at and need to maneuver.
Dirt	I have detected radar emissions from a ground-based radar.
Go Cold	Move away from the enemy contacts
Mud	I am being locked by a Surface-to-Air missile system.
Raygun	I have locked an unidentified contact
Shotgun	I have only self-defence armament remaining (i.e. AIM-9, guns).
Singer	I am being warned by my RWR that a SAM is shooting at me.
Spike	I'm being radar locked by an aerial contact
Visual	I see you/another friendly aircraft/ground unit. Opposite of Blind.	Tally

Units and Positional

Title	Definition	Aliases
Alpha Check [Destination]	Request to confirm an aircraft's bearing or range from a point, typically bullseye
Angels	Friendly altitude shorthand. (Ex. Angels 1 = 1,000ft, Angels 12.5 = 12,500ft)	Flight Level
BRAA	Bearing, Range, Altitude and Aspect
Bullseye	An established reference point from which the position of an object can be referenced by bearing (Magnetic) and range (NM) from this point.
Fast	Referenced unit is traveling above Mach 1
Feet Wet/Dry	Wet indicates flight going over water from land, Dry indicates flight going over land from water
Flow Cold	Directive call to fly away from an adversary	Flow Hot (Opposite)
Flow [Cardinal Direction]	Directive call to fly in direction
Yardstick	Directive Call to use A/A TACAN for ranging

Weapon Employment

Title	Definition	Aliases
Bruiser	I have launched an anti-ship cruise missile (e.g. AGM-84 Harpoon)
Duck	I have dropped an air-launched decoy (e.g. TALD)
Fox 1	I have launched a semi-active radar homing missile (e.g. AIM-7)
Fox 2	I have launched a heat-seeking missile (e.g. AIM-9)
Fox 3	I have launched an active radar homing missile ( e.g. AIM-120, AIM-54)
Greyhound	I have launched a ground attack cruise missile (e.g. SLAM)
Guns Guns Guns	I am firing guns/cannon
Mad Dog	I have launched an active radar homing missile visually, without a lock
Magnum	I have launched a radiation seeking missile (e.g. AGM-88 HARM)
Paveway	I have dropped a laser-guided bomb.
Pickle	I have dropped a bomb
Pig	I have launched a glide bomb ( e.g. AGM-154 JSOW)
Rifle	I am firing air to ground rockets or missiles
Ripple	I am dropping/launching numerous weapons
SNIPER	Directive call for an aircraft to employ a range-known HARM against a specific threat

Carrier Operations

Title	Definition	Aliases
Bolter	A carrier touchdown in which the hook on an aircraft did not catch any of the cables
Break	A sharp, level turn with high angle of attack, can be used to bleed speed as in during a carrier landing break.
Groove	The glideslope from 1NM to the carrier that aircraft fly on final.
LSO	Landing Signal Officer	Paddles
Marshal	Air Traffic Controller who informs returning aircraft about the carrier's state, and helps guide them as they return.
Meatball	The yellow glideslope indication light in the center of an IFLOLS that pilots watch when landing on a carrier	Ball
Ramp Strike	Landing gear struck the sloped area at the aft end of the ship
See you at ten	I am ten miles away from the carrier and I have visually acquired it.
Spin it	Immediately perform a left 360 degree turn, climbing to 1200ft and then returning to 800ft, within 3DME of the carrier.
Stack	The orbiting tracks of aircraft waiting to land on the carrier Called if the pattern is full when another flight arrives to the break.
Waveoff	When an aircraft is ordered to abort a landing or attack run

Air to Air Tactics

Title	Definition	Aliases
Abort [Direction]	A maximum performance turn away from the enemy, exiting the turn when the enemy is at your 6 O'clock.	Hard [Direction], Out [Direction]
Anchored	Informative call that a fighter is in a turning engagement with a hostile
Avalanche	Informative call that a friendly force needs immediate reinforcements
Azimuth	A picture label indicating 2 or more groups separated laterally from a reference point
BVR	Beyond Visual Range - Describes air combat fought with Fox 3s from greater than 18 miles away or in IMC
Bandit	Positive ID on hostile aircraft
Banzai	Execute launch-and-decide tactics. Typically means trying to force a merge after engagement with FOX 3 missiles.
Bogey	Unidentified air contact that is potentially hostile
Bugout	Egress from your position or situation rapidly
Crank	A maneuver to the left or right of the adversary after engaging but before DOR where you fly with the adversary at the gimbal limit of your radar (the edge of your radar). This reduces your closure speed to the adversary as much as possible without losing radar lock.
DOR	Desired Out Range - The minimum range that you can defeat an adversary's missile and make a decision to reengage and engage before hitting MAR.
Faded	Sensor data, typically radar, has been lost on a target of interest
Gorilla Group	Large amount of aircraft within 3NM of each other
Group	1-3 aircraft within 3 NM of each other
Heavy Group	3 or more aircraft within 3NM of each other	Group
Hostile	A contact identified as an enemy unit and that has either fired on you or you are cleared to fire on it.
MAR	Minimum Abort Range - The range at which an aircraft can safely abort and defeat any missiles fired by the adversary.
Meld	Focus radars on a particular group of bandits instead of sanitizing the whole airspace.
Merged	Aircraft have entered one another's visual arena
Range	A picture label indicating two or more groups separated along the same bearing from a reference point
SORT	Directive call to assign responsibility within a group, and launch criteria
Skate	Execute launch-and-leave tactics with FOX 3 missiles. Typically this means turning away from the target as your own missile goes active.
Target	Assignment of a friendly fighter to engage a specific group
Targeted	A friendly fighter has acquired their assigned group
Timeout	A missile has reached the end of its computed flight time and should have terminated
WEZ	Weapon Employment Zone - The 3D bubble surrounding an aircraft where any aircraft inside of it can be engaged by its weapons, and any aircraft outside of the bubble cannot. Each type of missile on an aircraft has a different WEZ.
WVR	Within Visual Range - Describes air combat fought with Fox 1s, guns, and Fox 2s within 18 miles away. "Out" (add cardinal direction) - Informative call to indicate that the aircraft is cold to the threat and heading a particular direction.

General Terms

Title	Definition	Aliases
AA	Anti-Air
AAA "Triple-A"	Anti-aircraft artillery
ACM	Air Combat Maneuvering	Dogfighting
AIC	Air Intercept Controller	GCI, AWACS
AO	Area of Operations
AWACS	Airborne Warning and Control System.
Anyface	Callsign for any friendly C2 agency to respond on radio
BAI	Battlefield Air Interdiction. The act of attacking enemy troops on the ground when your own troops aren't involved.
Bingo Field	Alternate airfield	Alternate, Divert
Bogey Dope	Where is my highest priority threat? (asked to AWACS/GCI)	Shopping
Buster	Proceed at military power (best speed without afterburner).	Mil
CAG	Commander of the Air Group
CAP	Combat Air Patrol
CAS	Close Air Support
Double Ugly	A Hornet weapons loadout with a centerline and one wing tank, to allow for more ordinance.
Fence In	Turn on weapons systems and prepare your aircraft for combat. Opposite of Fence Out.
Furball	A confused aerial engagement with many combatants. Several aircraft in tight ACM
Gate	Proceed at afterburner	Burner
Lights Out	Alternate term for radar off. Avoid usage due to confusion with aircraft lights being turned off at night
Lowdown	A request to the AIC to be provided tactical ground information pertinent to your mission, including SAM statuses, in a bullseye format.
Picture	A request to the AIC to be provided tactical air information pertinent to your mission, including the location of threatening hostile or unknown groups in a bullseye format
SAM	Surface to Air Missile
SEAD	Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses	DEAD(Destruction of...)
Six Shooter	An F-14 loadout with 6 Phoenix missiles, and two AIM-9s.
TACAN	Tactical Aid to Navigation which can provide bearing and sometimes distance
Winchester	I am out of missiles/ammunition.

CSG-8

Virtual Carrier Strike Group 8