The Official F-15 Strike Eagle Handbook
by Richard Sheffield
APPENDIX C
Definition of Terms
ballistic
Usually refers to climbing straight up so that altitude is gained due to engine power, not wing lift.
bandit
An enemy aircraft.
belly-check
Usually a 360-degree roll to check for enemy aircraft while in the blind spot beneath the aircraft.
black boxes
Electronic components for various aircraft systems mounted in removable boxes to facilitate rapid change and maintenance.
bogey
An enemy aircraft.
bounce
To attack an enemy aircraft, usually from above.
canard
Small wings, usually mounted toward the nose of an aircraft to improve maneuverability.
chaff
Thin, light strips of foil used to create a large return on an enemy radar. Used to decoy radar-guided missiles.
closing
Reducing the distance between your aircraft and another.
cold-side
The underside or belly of an aircraft.
dogfighter
Aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat.
Doppler
A radar system that makes use of the shift in frequency of signals reflected from earth, ahead or behind an aircraft, to obtain its true airspeed and location.
envelope
The performance limits of an aircraft.
flare
Very hot decoys used to fool heat-seeking missiles.
gomer
An enemy.
guns kill
To destroy an enemy aircraft at close range with an onboard cannon—the most difficult type of kill.
hot-side
The top of an aircraft.
HOTAS
Hands on throttle and stick.
infrared
The portion of the energy spectrum felt as heat but not seen.
inverted
Flying an aircraft upside-down, or with the canopy toward the ground.
jamming
Emitting signals so strong that they overwhelm an enemy's detection system and render it useless.
jink
To make wild and rapid movements with the aircraft, both up and down and side to side, usually in an attempt to avoid an incoming missile or to evade an enemy aircraft.
klick
One kilometer or 1000 meters.
multibogey
More than one enemy aircraft in the combat area.
pipper
The circle or dot used for aiming the cannon or for lining up a bomb drop.
pod
Streamlined containers used to carry equipment under an aircraft's wing or belly.
punch out
To activate the ejection seat during flight.
retarded
A bomb that employs fins to increase its drag so it can be dropped from low altitude without catching the aircraft in the bomb blast.
signature
Characteristic "fingerprint" every type of radar equipment emits.
six
The 6 o'clock position behind an aircraft. Directly in front is 12 o'clock; directly behind is 6 o'clock.
slick
Bombs without retarding fins.
smart
A bomb with an onboard system that can identify a target and adjust its flight path to ensure a hit.
stall
A condition in which there isn't enough air moving over an aircraft's wing to produce adequate lift to keep the aircraft under control.
wild weasel
An aircraft assigned the mission of leading an attack and identifying and destroying SAM sites.
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