Fighter Pilot Speak

This “dictionary” of terms is meant to provide the information necessary to translate fighter pilot slang and jargon; it’s a Rosetta stone to fighter pilot “lingo,” if you will.  There is some language on this page that should not be repeated or may otherwise be inappropriate. They are here only so that you can interpret fighter pilot terminology.  Some relevant non-fighter pilot terms are also included.

Most of these terms are literally slang or unofficial terms.  To read about official brevity communications, reference the Joint Publication on brevity comm (PDF).

Ever wonder why you hear a fighter pilot say “cranium” or “skull” instead of “head?”  For insight as to why fighter pilots sometimes use “abnormal” words in an “normal” way, read here.

 A B C D E
AAA
AEF
AFSC
Afterburner
AIB
ALO
AMRAAM
AWACS
Balls to the Wall
Bandit
Base X
B-Course
Beans
BFM
Bingo
Bitching Betty
Black Box
B-LOC
Bogey
BVR
B-word
Callsign
CAS
Centrifuge
CGOC
Chaff
Checkride
Check Six
Chick
Code 3
Coin
Crew Chief
CRM/FRM
Dash-1
Dead Bug
DNIF
Dollar Ride
Doofer Book
Dos Gringos
ECM
Exposure Suit
F G H I J
FAC
Fag-bag
FAIP
FEB
Fence-In/Out
Flare
Flat-top February
Flight Lead
FNG
FOG
Foul
Fox
Frat
“G”
GIB
G-LOC
Gonk
Go Pills
Gouge
Ground-Pounder
HARM
Heavy
Holding Hands
Holy Joe
Hook
Hostile
IFF
IP
Jeremiah Weed
Joker
K L M N O
KIO Landing Fee
LFE
LGB
Line of Sight
LPA
Mach
Magnum
MIL
MOPP
Mort
Mustache March
Mutual Support
Naming
No-Go Pills
NVG
O’Club
OPR
Ops Tempo
OTS
P Q R S
PATRIOT
PCS
Pickle
Piddle Pack
Pigs in Space
Poopie Suit
Procedure
Pull Chocks
Punch
Push
Push it Up
Queep RCH
Red Flag
Redball
Red X
Remote
Rifle
RMO
ROE
ROTC
RTB
SAM
Sandbag
Scud
SEAD
SERE
Shack
Shoe Clerk
Shoe Flag
Short
Short Hairs
SIB
Sideburn September
Sidewinder
SIE
Sierra Hotel
Situational Awareness
SNAFU
SNAP
SOS
“So to Speak”
Spatial “D”
Step
T U W X Y
TACAN
Tango Uniform
TCN
TDY
Technique
Tree
Triple A
Tumbleweed
UAV
UCAV
UPT
USAFA
Washed Out
Wingman
WOM
WSO
WTFO
YGBSM
Y Z
Zipper-suited Sun God

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