Aviation slang from the U.S. and NATO:

Fox one: Radar-guided missile fired (AIM-7, Sky Flash, Aspide)

Fox two: Heat-seeking missile fired: (AIM-9, ASRAAM, IRIS-T, Magic,etc)

Fox three: Active Radar Missile fired: (AIM-120, Meteor, MICA, Derby)

Fox four: Guns fired

Rifle: AGM-65 Maverick launch

Magnum: Antiradar missile launch (HARM, ALARM, Shrike, ARMAT)

Bingo: fuel state requires return to base

Jolly Greens: USAF Search and Rescue Helos (originally meant to be the HH-3 and HH-53 series)

Winchester: Out of ordnance

Chrome Dome: SAC airborne alert

Texaco (USN): Tanker aircraft

Splash: Enemy aircraft destroyed

Viper: Unofficial name for F-16s; pilots wanted this as the actual name instead of Fighting Falcon back in '79. Inspired by the Vipers in Battlestar Galactica. Also called Lawn Dart (for what happens when an F-16 loses its engine...)

Albino Eagle: F-15A/C; air-to-air only F-15s.

Beagles: F-15E Strike Eagles; Bomber Eagles...(WARNING: any derogratory use of either one is a good way to start a fight)

Bug: F/A-18A/B/C/D

Super Bug: F/A-18E/F; also known as Rhino (a name previously used for the F-4)

Here's one I remembered because of a post I made in a different thread:

MacGuyver: to jury-rig something (as in, "I don't know how to do it either! MacGuyver it!")

Here was a common nickname we used for the Chinook helicopter: S**thook, because it can haul a lot of s**t.

Here's one I've heard pilots jokingly use: Fox Five, for when you take the guy down by slamming your plane into his...

That reminds me of a joke I heard Senator McCain use during the campaign: "I once used my plane to shoot down a SAM. I thought it was a good shot..." I might not like his politics, but he does have a good sense of humor.

Here's one I heard recently:

Unobtanium: A weapon or piece of equipment you need badly, but can't get your hands on.

A few more:

Double-Ugly: F-4 Phantom

Scooter: A-4 Skyhawk

SLUF (Short Little Ugly F*&^#$) A-7 Corsair II

BUFF (Big Ugly Friendly F*&^#$) B-52

Bone: B-1B Lancer

Warthog (or just plain Hog): A-10

Ardvark (or plain Vark) F-111

Spark Vark: EF-111

Queer Bird (don't ask me how this one got started): EA-6B Prowler

Growler: EA-18G

Be careful, Paul: the Russians still taught the Taran (aerial ramming) as a last resort....so there is a Fox Five call.

I've also heard the A4 referred to as the Fart Cart. For interest sake, is anyone still flying Skyhawks? Saw one at the Air and Space in DC when I was there, liked the look of it.

I think that Argentina, Brazil and Israel are still using them.

Not long ago Indonesia and Malaysia were still using them but it seems that they have been retired. From what I know they are still held in reserve.

I don't know what happened to the one that were in service in New Zealand. They have been retired as the RNZAF doesn't retain any offensive capability. They were on the market for sale but I don't know if they have been sold, scrapped or if they remain in storage somewhere.

I know the Brazilians are still using them -- I saw on MSNBC some landing on one of our carriers as part of a joint exercise. Apparently they do that a lot, as it keeps up relations with Brazil and the Brazilians don't get to do a lot of real carrier landings.

As for the RZNAF: I gotta ask, why even have an Air Force if none of aircraft have any offensive capability? Are they all SARbirds or something? (Hey wait, that's another piece of military slang -- SARbird, a search-and-rescue aircraft.)

A-4s are still operated by Argentina (AF), Brazil (Navy: these are the ex-Kuwaiti Skyhawks that survived the First Gulf War), Israel (being retired-used as fighter and attack trainers nowadays), The Malaysian and Indonesian Skyhawks have all been retired, and the ex-RNZAF birds are up for sale. FYI, Paul, the RNZAF has no combat-capable aircraft any more, unless you count P-3s for ASW and anti-surface warfare.

Another one of those military decisions that makes no damn sense...I guess the military is the same all over when it comes to that sort of thing!

The decision wasn't the military's from what I understand: if our Aussie friends on the board can add to it, feel free to do so, but my understanding is that the RNZAF was going to buy 18 F-16s that had been built for Pakistan, but embargoed in the early '90s. However, before the planes could be refurbished and delivered, there was an election down there, and the new govt., looking to save money, canned the buy and disbanded the one remaining A-4 squadron. The USN wound up getting the F-16s and the Strike Warfare Center at NAS Fallon has 'em for DACT. When the embargo was lifted after 9-11 and before OEF got going, the PAF simply decided to order brand new Block 52 F-16s.

My mum's little sister is the (civilian) personal assistant to the head of the RNZAF so I could ask her the specifics but I think the way Matt Wiser described things was about right.

I'll shoot off an email to my aunt right now and ask what happened to the Kiwi Skyhawks.

Isn't the Gripen cheaper than a new Block 52 or 60 F-16? The Gripen is a damn capable aircraft as well. If the Polish can afford them, I would think the RZNAF could too.

What is a Gripen?

I don't think the issue is affordability, but rather necessity with a bucketload of political expediancy thrown in for flavour.

New Zealand, by virtue of their geographic location if nothing else, doesn't really need much of a defence force that I can see. Not a lot of powerful enemies in the south pacific after all.

Heard a rumour years ago when I was in the infantry that the only reason Australia even had MBTs was tradition. It's not like any of them have even sniffed another country since Vietnam in the late 60s, let alone faced an actual enemy.

Never know. The PLA might turn up one day. Of course before it came to that they'd probably nuke us. Possibly even with our own uranium. Insane.

The Swedish JAS-39 Gripen, their newest fighter-bomber. It supposedly has a better electronics and ground-attack suite than even the newest F-16s, and it's a big seller in Europe.

That's right: Czech Republic and Hungary fly Gripens, as does South Africa. Offered to the Swiss to augment their F/A-18 force, but lost to the Hornet when the Finns decided to "buy American." It's competed against the F-15E, F-16 Block 50, and Rafale in several competitions, but lost to the F-15E in the ROK and Singapore, the Block 50 Viper in Chile and Oman, and Block 60 in the UAE, and nobody still has bought Rafales other than the French. It is built with full NATO interoperability, and is wired for both AIM-9 and AIM-120, so even if the U.S. loses out on the contract for the aircraft, the customers usually buy American weapons. (South Africa excepted: they went to the Israelis for the Python 3 and 4 IR and Derby active radar AAMs) Thailand and Austria are also operators or plan to be.

The Poles just finished taking delivery of 48 Block 52 F-16s, and may order more.

I saw the Gripen at the Air Tattoo in Fairford in 2006 - very impressive looking aircraft, and they certainly threw it around a bit. I'll try and find a photo and email you it Targ. Going to try for Fairford again this year - hopefully it'll not get rained off like last year.

Its all good, looked it up earlier. They've gone with the forward canard wings I see. It does look good.

Here is the situation with the RNZAF's Skyhawks.

In 2005 an agreement was reached for the RNZAF Skyhawk and Aermacchi fleets to be sold to the private American company Tactical Air Services Inc for around US$110 million. While legal aspects of the sale were being sorted out the RNZAF needed to use the hanger space the Skyhawks were taking up to do refurbishments on their C-130s so in 2007 the Skyhawks were put into out door storage but each aircraft was completely encased in a latex covering so they wouldn't deteriorate.

My aunt who is the civilian personal assistant to an Air Vice Marshall in the RNZAF has told me that the Skyhawks are still in New Zealand in storage because the sale was never completed but she was unable to tell me why or if it will still go through due to that information being classified.

Yes it does! Invaders always love peace, they love to invade you without firing a shot.:D (not exactly the right sentence but that's about it; I think it comes from Clauswitz).

Targ, thanks for the update on RNZAF skyhawks.

Added "Dropshort" to my list towards the beginning of this thread.

Here's one for mortar gunners:

Ping-Ponging: when your shots keep dropping on one side of the enemy or the other, but you didn't actually intend to bracket them.

Here's one that I thought could add a little color:

FNG: F**** New Guy. The last one to join the unit. I think it would be hilarious for one PC (or NPC) to be referred to by the others in the party as FNG rather than by name. Even if he'd been there for years!

SAS - A Canadian term for Reservists Saturday And Sundays refering to there training time

Thats used in the UK as well. It goes in line with the modified and unofficial motto of the Royal Marine Reserve. By Sea, By Land, By Sunday Lunchtime.

Hi new guy here wanted to add one to this list

SWAT Some Weekends and Thursdays "reservists in canada"
wrench bender =mechanic"
Lawn Dart = "airborne qualifed person "
Meat Bomb/Cheezie= "search and rescue para jumper" cheesie because of the orange jump suits they wear
ZipperHead=" armor crewman"
ClownTown/Puzzle Palace= "base headquarters"

and finally
MUFWIC = "Muther F***er Whats In Charge

learned that one many years ago in camp pendleton

A friend who was a navy surgeon introduced me to the medical term FU Bundy - Fuc**d up but not dead yet.