Glossary of Armor Terms/Acronyms
A: Alpha
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AA : Anti-Aircraft
AAA: Anti-Aircraft Artillery
AAV : Amphibious Assault Vehicle (See AMTRAC, LVT)
AAVP : Amphibious Assault Vehicle (Personnel)
ACAV : Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle
ACE : Armored Combat Earthmover
ACR : Armored Cavalry Regiment
ACU : Army Combat Uniform
AD : Armor(ed) Division
ADA : Air Defense Artillery
AFV : Armored Fighting Vehicle
ALICE : All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment
AMTRAC : Amphibian Tractor (See LVT)
AP : Armour Piercing
APC : Armored Personnel Carrier
APFSDS : Armor Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot
APFSDS-T : Armor Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot with Tracer
API : Armor Piercing Incendiary
APU : Auxilliary Power Unit
ARVN : Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Arty : Artillery
ARV : Armored Recovery Vehicle
AT : Anti-Tank
ATGW : Anti-Tank Guided Weapon (Also ATGM : Anti-Tank Guided Munition)
Ausf : Ausführung - Version
AVLB : Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge
AVLM : Armored Vehicle Launched MICLIC
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B: Bravo
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BAR : Browning Automatic Rifle
BDU : BattleDress Uniform
BFA : Blank Firing Adaptor/(attachment)
BFV : Bradley Fighting Vehicle
BFT : “Blue Force” Tracker
BII : Basic Issue Items (pioneer tools on a vehicle, like shovel, pick axe, axe, wrenches, etc.) Sometimes called OVM Operator Vehicle Maintenance
Bn : Battalion
BMP : Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty - Soviet/Russian built Tracked Infantry Combat Vehicle
BRDM : Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina - Soviet/Russian built Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle
BRE : Bustle Rack Extension
BTR : Bronetransporter - Soviet/Russian built Armored Transport Vehicle (Wheeled)
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C: Charlie
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C-RAM : Counter Rocket, Artliiery, Mortar - Area defense system utulising a ground-based version of the naval 20mm Phalanx CIWS
C4 : Composition 4 Plastic Explosive
CARC : Chemical Agent Resistant Coating
CCP : Casualty Collection Point
CEV : Combat Engineer Vehicle
CFV : Cavalry Fighting Vehicle
CIP : Combat Identification Panel
CITV : Commanders Independent Thermal Viewer
CLAMS : Clear Lane Marking System
Co : Company
CO : Commanding Officer
CP : Command Post
CVC : Combat Vehicle Crewmen
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D: Delta
[list]
DCU : Desert Camouflage Uniform
DEUCE : Deployable Universal Combat Earthmover
Deuce-and-a-half : 2 1/2 Ton Truck
DPICM : Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition
DU - Depleted Uranium
DWFK : Deep Water Fording Kit
DZ : Drop Zone
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E: Echo
[list]
EAAK : Enhanced Applique Armor Kit
EFP : Explosively formed Penetrator (See SFF)
EOD : Explosive Ordnance Disposal
EPLRS : Enhanced Position Locating Reporting System
ERA : Explosive Reactive Armor
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F: Foxtrot
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FASCAM : Field Artillery SCAttered Mines
FCS : Fire Control System
FEBA : Forward Edge of Battlefield Area
FIST : Fire Support Team
FLAK : Flieger Abwehr Kanone - literally Anti-aircraft gun
FLOT : Forward Line of Own Troops
FOSD : Fly Over Shoot Down
FROG : Free Rocket Over Ground
FS 595 : (US) Federal Standard color coding system
FSV : Fire Support Vehicle
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G: Golf
[list]
GDLS : General Dynamics Land Systems
GMC : General Motors Corp
GMC : Gun Motor Carriage
GPMG : General Purpose Machine Gun
GPS : Global Positioning System
GPS : Gunner’s Primary sight
Grouser : Removable track shoe which may be added to track to provide additional traction in slippery conditions (eg. snow/mud)
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H: Hotel
[list]
HE : High Explosive
HEAT : High Explosive Anti-Tank
HEAP : High Explosive Anti-Personnel
HEDP : High Explosive Dual Purpose
HEI : High Explosive Incendiary
HEMTT : Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck
HESH : High Explosive Squash Head
HET : Heavy Equipment Transporter
HMG : Heavy Machine Gun
HMMWV : High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle
HOT : (French: Haut subsonique Optiquement téléguidé tiré d’un Tube), or “High-subsonic, Optically teleguided, Tube-fired” Anti-tank missile
HLS : Heliopter Landing Site
HQ : Headquarters
HVSS : Horizontal Volute Suspension system
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I: India
[list]
IBA : Interceptor Body Armor
ICOR : Infantry COmbat Regiment (Korean War era reference)
ICV : Infantry Combat Vehicle
ICWS : Improved Commander’s Weapon Station. Commander’s cupola and gun mount on the M1A2.
ID : Infantry Division
IDF : Israeli Defence Forces
IED : Improvised Explosive Device
IFOR : Implementation FORce
IFV : Infantry Fighting Vehicle
IR : Infra-Red
ITV : Improved TOW Vehicle, the M901
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J: Juliet
[list]
JGSDF : Japan Ground Self-Defence Force
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K: Kilo
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K-Pot : Unofficial nickname for US Issue Kevlar Helmet
KE : Kinetic Energy
KFOR : Kosovo FORce
KwK : KampfwagenKanone - Fighting vehicle cannon/gun
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L: Lima
[list]
LAV : Light Armored Vehicle
LAW : Light Anti-Tank Weapon
LBE : Load Bearing Equipment
LBV : Load Bearing Vest
LOS : Line Of Sight
LRV : Light Reconnaisance vehicle
LVT : Landing Vehicle, Tracked
LZ : Landing Zone
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M: Mike
[list]
MARPAT : MARine PATtern camouflage (uniform)
MAW : Medium Antitank Weapon, the Dragon
MCB : Mine Clearing Blade
MCD : Missile Countermeasure Device
MCLOS : Manual Command Line Of Sight, a type of ATGM like the AT-3 Sagger
MCRS : Mine Clearing Roller System
MERDC : Mobility Equipment Research & Design Command
MEU : Marine Expeditionary Unit
MG : Machine Gun
MICLIC : Mine Clearing Line Charge
MICV : Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicle
MILAN : (French) Missile d´infanterie léger antichar
MILES : Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System
MLRS : Multiple Launch Rocket System
MOLLE : Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment
MOPP : Mission Oriented Protective Posture
MPAT : Multi-Purpose Anti-Tank
MRAP : Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle
MRE : Meal, Ready to Eat
MRS : Muzzle Reference Sensor
MRV : Medium Reconnaisance Vehicle
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N: November
[list]
NATO : North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NBC : Nuclear/Biological/Chemical
NOD(S) : Night Observation Device(S)
NTC: National Training Center
NVG : Night Vision Goggles
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O: Oscar
[list]
OD : Olive Drab
ODS : Operation Desert Storm
OIF : Operation Iraqi Freedom
OP : Observation Post
OPFOR : OPposing FOrce(s)
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P: Papa
[list]
PAK : Panzer Abwehr Kanone - literally, Anti-tank gun
PATRIOT : Phased Array TRacking Intercept Of Target
PLGR : Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver
Plt : Platoon
POL : Petroleum, Oils, Lubricants
Pzkpfw : Panzerkampfwagen - Armored Combat Vehicle
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Q: Quebec
[list]
QCB : Quick Change Barrel
QRF: Quick Reaction Force
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R: Romeo
[list]
RAAC : Royal Australian Armoured Corps
RAL : “Reichsausschuss für Lieferbedingungen” - RAL - (Committee of the German Reich for Terms and Conditions of Sale).
RAR : Royal Australian Regiment
RBA : Ranger Body Armor
REFORGER : REturn of FORces to GERmany
ROE : Rules Of Engagement
RPG : Rocket Propelled Grenade
RCL : Recoilless Rifle
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S: Sierra
[list]
Sabot : Collar or boot allowing a smaller diameter projectile to be fired from a barrel with a larger bore diameter.
SACEUR : Supreme Allied Commander, EURope
SACLOS : Semi Automatic Command Line Of Sight, a type of ATGM such as TOW, Milan, or Dragon
SAM : Surface to Air Missile
SAW : Squad Automatic Weapon
Sdkfz : Sonder Kraftfahrzeug - ‘special-purpose vehicle’
SEP : System Enhancement Program (Upgrade program for the M1A2 Abrams)
SFF : Self Forging Fragment (See EFP)
SFOR : Stabilization FORce
SHAFE (SHAPE) : Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces Europe
SINCGARS : Single-Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System
SITREP : SITuation REPort
SLAP : Saboted Light Armor Piercing
SMG : Sub Machine Gun
SOP : Standard Operating Procedure
SP : Self Propelled
SPAAG : Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun
Spall : Fragments breaking away from the inner surface of an armor plate as a result of the impact/detonation/penetration of a projectile.
SPAT : Self-Propelled Anti-Tank
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T: Tango
[list]
TC : Tank (also track/truck) Commander
TIS : Thermal Imaging System
TO&E : Table of Organization and Equipment
TOW : Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided antitank missile
TT : Tank Table
TUA : TOW Under Armor
TUSK : Tank Urban Survival Kit
TWMP : Track Width Mine Plow
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U: Uniform
[list]
UAAPU : Under Armor Auxiliary Power Unit
UGWS : Upgunned Weapons Station
USAREUR : US ARmy, EURope
UXO : UneXploded Ordnance
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V: Victor
[list]
VB-IED : Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device. Basically a car bomb.
VCSU : Vapor Compression System Unit (Part of the M1A2 SEP Thermal Management System)
VT : Variable Time (Fuse)
VVSS : Vertical Volute Suspension System
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W: Whiskey
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WP : “Willie Pete” or White Phosphorous
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X: X-Ray
Y: Yankee
Z: Zulu
[LIST]
ZSU : Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka - Soviet/Russian Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft system
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Updated 1 Sept. 2012