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Page Updated
October 10, 2011

Contact: Bill Petrie
CMSgt, USAF, Ret.

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If you feel we have missed any terms used during our gunship tours please bring them to our attention.

AAA - Anti-Aircraft Artillery

ACG - Air Commando Group

ACS - Air Commando Squadron

ACW - Air Commando Wing

AD - Air Division

AFSOC - Air Force Special Operations Command

AFSOF - Air Force Special Operations Force

AGL - Above Ground Level

ANG - Air National Guard

ARVN - Army of the Republic of Vietnam

BDA - Bomb Damage Assessment

Black Crow - Sensor for detecting emissions from truck engines

Black Spot - Fairchild AC/NC-123 gunship project

Blind Bat - Lockheed C-130 Hercules flareship

Cal - calibre

Candlestick - Fairchild C-123B/K Provider flareship

CBU - Cluster Bomb Unit

CCTS - Combat Crew Training Squadron

CCTW - Combat Crew Training Wing

CIA - Central Intelligence Agency

CIDG - Civilian Irregular Defense Force

COSVN - Central Office for South Vietnam

DFC - Distinguished Flying Cross

DMZ - Demilitarized Zone

FAC - Forward Air Controller

FLIR - Forward-Looking Infra-red

FS - Fighter Squadron

Hooch - Hut/dwelling

H and I - Harrassment and Interdiction artillery fire

IFR - Instrument Flight Rules

IR - Infra-red.

Klick - Short for Kilometer

Kt - Knots

LLLTV - Low Light Level Television

LS - Liaison Squadron

LZ - Landing Zone

MAAG - Military Assistance Advisory Group

MAC - Military Airlift Command

MACTHAI - Military Assistance Command Thailand

MACV - Military Assistance Command Vietnam

NKP - Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base

NVA - North Vietnamese Army

POW - Prisoner of war

Raven - Callsign of USAF FACs assigned to General Vang Pao

RPM - Revolutions per minute

RTAFB - Royal Thai Air Force Base

SAM - Surface to air missile

SEA - South-East Asia

Shadow - Fairchild AC-119G Flying Boxcar gunship

Slicks - Troop-carrying Hueys

SOF - Special Operations Forces

SOG - Studies and Observation Group

SOTS - Special Operations Training Squadron

SOS - Special Operations Squadron

SOW - Special Operations Wing

Spectre - Lockheed AC-130A/E/H Hercules gunship

Spooky - Douglas AC-47 gunship

Stinger - Fairchild AC-119K Flying Boxcar gunship

TAC - Tactical Air Command

TACAIR - Tactical Air Support

TAOR - Tactical Area of Operational Responsibility

TASS - Tactical Air Support Squadron

TIC - Troops in contact

USARV - United States Army Vietnam

USMACV - United States Military Assistance Command,Vietnam

USSOCOM - United States Special Operations Command

VC - Viet Cong.

VNAF - Vietnamese Air Force

VFR - Visual Flight Rules

Waterpump - Air Commando training detachment in Thailand