AEG - [Automatic Electric Gun] An electric Airsoft weapon
AK-47 - [Automatav Kalashnikov 47]
Ammo - Short for ammunition, BB's in airsoft
ASG - [Airsoft gun] This is the correct way to shorten Airsoft Guns
ASGK = Airsoft Gun Kai; Airsoft Gun Association. Self regulating body for airsoft manufacturers.
AWOL - [Absent With Out Leave] To take a leave when no leave is given
BB - [Ball Bearing] It's a standard 6 millimeter in diameter weighing .20 up to.43grams.
BAR - [Browning Automatic Rifle]
Bitoy/ Toybits - British
Bo-Abs - Arabs
BDU - [Battle Dress Uniform] The cloth that a soldier wear
CAR-15 - Colt Automatic Rifle 15
CO - [Commanding Officer] The Order-giving Officer
CQB - Close Quarters Battle
Crouts/ Gerries/ Gerry's - Germans
DA - [Double Action] The weapon don't have to be cocked to fire it
Dinks - Vietnamese (Civilians Southern)
FARP - [Forward Arming and Refueling Point] A forward bas for refueling and supplies
FN - [Fabrique National/Nacional] Manufacturer of firearms like the P90
FNG - F**ckin' New Guy
FOB - [Forward Operating Base] The same as FB but often bigger
FOV - Field of View
FPS - [Feet Per Second] Indicates how fast is a bullet traveling in the muzzle of an gun once fired
GBB - [Gas Blow Back] A gas pistol where the slide move with every shot. semi-automatic operation
GI - [Government Issue] Something, such as military equipment, that is issued by a government. An enlisted person in or a veteran of any of the U.S. armed forces, especially a person enlisted in the army.
Gooks - Vietnamese (Vietcong, NVA)
IMHO - [In My Humble Opinion] Often used on the internet or SMS
Japs - Japanese
KIA - Killed In Action
LMG - Light Machine Gun like the M60 or M249 SAW
LBV - [Load Bearing Vest] Vest used to hang/carry field equipment
mAh - [milliampere hour] Often used to indicate battery capacity
MedEvac- Medical Evacuation
MIA - Missing In Action
MilSim- Military Simulation
MP5A5 - [Machinen Pistole5 Ausf. 5] Just a trivia
NVA - Northern Vietnamese Army
NVG - [Night Vision Goggles] Goggles used to see at night
OPFOR - [Opposition Force] Used to describe enemies assigned during competitions
Pana/ Itik/ Cebu - Indians
Patan/ Paki/ Tano - Pakistanis
Precious Cargo - Codename for Hostage
ROE - Rules of Engagement
NBB - [Non BlowBack] A gas pistol where the slide doesn't move
RIS. - [Rail Interface System] Modular unit in some airsoft guns where accessories can be mounted
ROF - [Rate Of Fire] Often used to indicate how many BB's are fired by an airsoft gun for every minute
SAG - [SoftAirGun] Another name for Airsoft Guns
SAW - [Squad Automatic Weapon] Used as support weapon like the FN M249 Minimi or M60E
Skinnies/Technicals - Somalis
SpecOps - Special Operations
SR-16 - Stoner Rifle 16
SMG - [SubMachine Gun] like MP5 and UZI
SWAT - [Special Weapons And Tactics] The USA/Philippine Police Special Force
Tango - Standard Codename for terrorists and enemies
AK-47 - A Russian-designed assault rifle, used by the Somalis throughout the fight.
APC - Armored personnel carrier, a tank-like vehicle that carries troops. BDUs - Battle Dress Uniforms, in this case, desert tan camouflage fatigues.

Blackhawk - A Sikorsky-made UH-60 helicopter used primarily as a troop transport. It has a pilot and co-pilot and two crew chiefs who each man miniguns, extremely rapid-fire machine guns that fire up to 4,000 rounds per minute.
CAR-15 - Colt Automatic Rifle 15, an automatic weapon more compact and lightweight than an M-16 that fires a high velocity 5.56mm round. Chalk - A squad of soldiers, usually about a dozen, assigned to a helicopter.
Command Copter - Also called the "C-2 Bird" (for command and control), this is a Blackhawk circling high above the city with air commander Lt. Col. Tom Matthews and ground force commander Lt. Col. Gary Harrell helping to direct the action.
Command Net - The radio frequency linking the various unit commanders and primary communications network for the mission. There were other, separate frequencies assigned to the Rangers (Company Net), Delta (Assault Net) and the helicopters (Air Net).
Delta Force - The US Army's elite counter-terrorism unit, made up of three 150-man squadrons of specially trained professional soldiers, most of them in their late 20s or early 30s, products of a tortuously rigid selection process. The Army does not officially acknowledge that the unit exists. The Rangers called them ''the D-boys.''
Fast rope - The technique used by assault troops who slide down thick nylon ropes from helicopter, or the rope used in this maneuver.
Flash-bang - A harmless grenade that gives off smoke and makes noise.
.50-gunner - The man behind a .50-cal. machine gun, usually mounted on a humvee. On round can rip a grapefruit-sized hole in a cinderblock wall.
.50-cal. - A Browning .50-cal. machine gun, mounted usually on a humvee, which can continuously fire a belt of ammunition. A .50-cal. round can poke a grapefruit-sized hole in a cinderblock wall.
Habr Gidr - A powerful Somalia subclan, part of the Hawaye, one of the five principle clans in that desert nation.
Hoo-ah - The grunted greeting exchanged by Rangers, it is also a slang term for a Ranger.
Humvee - The wide-bodied Army vehicles that replaced the jeep as the all-purpose military ground transport. There are cargo humvees with sloping hatch-backs, and attack humvees with a gun turret on top, outfitted with either a .50-cal. machine gun or a Mark-19 automatic grenade launcher. Humvee comes from HMMWV, the military acronym for high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle.
JOC - The Joint Operations Center, a dilapidated building at Task Force Ranger's beachfront base where commanders of the various units, Army, Navy and Air Force monitored the fight on TV screens and radio.
K-4 traffic circle - One of the major traffic roundabouts in southern Mogadishu.
Kevlar - Protective material capable of stopping small caliber bullets and shrapnel. Kevlar panels lined the floors of the Blackhawks, and Rangers wore newly-issued Kevlar vests with a ceramic front plate capable of stopping larger caliber rifle rounds. Military-issue helmets are also lined with Kevlar.
Khat - A bitter green plant used by Somalis that acts as a stimulant when chewed.

LAW - A light antitank weapon. The disposable plastic launcher weighs only three pounds.

Little Birds - The fast, tiny and highly-maneuverable bubble-front AH-6 (Attack Helicopter-6) and MH-6 (Military Helicopter-6) helicopters. The AHs are attack helicopters, armed with miniguns and rockets. The MHs deliver Delta soldiers to their target, carrying them on benches mounted on the outside.

M-16 - The standard-issue automatic rifle carried by American soldiers.
M-60 - A relatively lightweight, hand-carried machine gun with a bipod that can fire a continuous belt of 7.62mm rounds. The M-60 is a ''crew served,'' one that is handled by a gunner and an assistant. The Rangers call the M-60 a ''pig'' because of the low, grunting sound it makes when fired.
M203 - A grenade-launching tube sometimes mounted under the rifle barrel of an M-16.
Mark 19 - An automatic grenade launcher, usually mounted on a humvee, which rapidly fires armor-piercing 40mm rounds.
Minigun - A electric-powered machine gun mounted on helicopters capable of firing up to 4,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition per minute.
MP-5K - A German submachine gun that fires 9mm rounds. The pilots called them "skinny-poppers."
Nightstalkers - The Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) 160th US Army Division based at Ft. Campbell, Ky., considered the Army's finest helicopter aviation unit, specializing in night flying and combat.
NODs - Night vision devices that look like mini-binoculars. They amplify extremely small amounts of light to enable soldiers to see in the dark.
OH-58 - Surveillance helicopters equipped with sophisticated listening devices and cameras, capable of transmitting live video images of the battle and instant still images.
P-3 Orion - A propeller-driven spy plane that flew high over Mogadishu for 10 hours on the day of the battle. It is outfitted with extraordinarily high-powered surveillance cameras and electronic-jamming devices. An Orion orbited high over Mogadishu, out of range of Somalian weaponry, for the entire battle. RLTW - Acronym used by Rangers, meaning "Rangers lead the way."

RPG - Rocket propelled grenade. It is fired from a tube like a small missile.

SAW - Squad automatic weapon, a hand-carried machine gun with a bipod on the gas cylinder.

SEAL - The Navy's elite commando unit. SEAL stands for sea, air & land.
60-gunner - Operator of an M-60 machine gun.
Super - The radio code name for the Blackhawks in the battle. The helicopters were called Super 61, Super 62, Super 64, Super 68, etc.
TOW - A heavy antitank weapon. Its name is derived from its description as a tube-launched, optically tracked, wire command-link guided missile.
AARTY - Army artillery
ADAM - Artillery-Delivered Antipersonnel Mine
aiming - a marksmanship fundamental; refers to the precise alignment of the rifle sights with the target
ALICE - All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment
AM - Amplitude Modulation
antenna - a device used to radiate or receive electromagnetic energy (usually RF)
antijamming - a device, method, or system used to reduce or eliminate the effects of jamming
AP - Anti-Personnel
APFT - Army Physical Fitness Test
APICM - Anti-Personnel Improved Conventional Munitions
armorer - one who services and makes repairs on small arms and performs similar duties to keep small arms ready for use
ARNG - ARmy National Guard
ART - Auto-Ranging Telescope
ARTEP - ARmy Training and Evaluation Program
AVLB - Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge
AWADS - Adverse Weather Aerial Delivery System
ball - the projectile; the bullet
ballistics - a science that deals with the motion and flight characteristics of projectiles
BMNT - beginning morning nautical twilight
breath control - a marksmanship fundamental; refers to the control of breathing to help keep the rifle steady during firing
bullet drop - how far the bullet drops from the line of departure to the point of impact
bull's-eye target - any target with a round black circle and scoring rings Normally used in competitive marksmanship training
butt plate - metal or rubber covering of the end of the stock on the rifle
CALFEX - combined arms live-fire exercise
cartridge - a complete round of ammunition
CAS - close air support
CLGP - cannon-launched guided projectile
CLP - cleaner, lubricant, preservative
cm - centimeter
CMF - career management field
counterpoise - a conductor or system of conductors used as a substitute for a ground in an antenna system
CP - concrete-piercing
CQ - charge of quarters
crack and thump - a method to determine the general direction and distance to an enemy firer who is shooting at you
cradle - a vise-like mechanism that holds a weapon in a secured position during test firing
CS - a chemical agent (tear gas)
CW - continuous wave
dia - diameter
dipole - a radio antenna consisting of two horizontal rods in line with each other with their ends slightly separated
DPICM - dual-purpose improved conventional munitions
DIG - date-time group
DZ - drop zone
E&E - evasion and escape
ECM - electronic countermeasures
EDGE - emergency deployment readiness exercise
EEL - essential elements of information
EVENT - end of evening nautical twilight
effective wind - the average of all the varying winds encountered
electromagnetic wave - a wave propagating as a periodic disturbance of the electromagnetic field and having a frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum
elevation adjustment - rotating the front sight post to cause the bullet to strike the higher or lower on the target
EMP - electromagnetic pulse
EPW - enemy prisoner of war
ERP - end-route rally point
eye relief - the distance from the firing eye to the rear sight; eye relief is a function of stock weld
F - Fahrenheit
FDC - fire direction center
FFL - final firing line
FFP - final firing position
FLOT - forward line of own troops
FM - frequency modulated
FO - forward observer
FRAGO - fragmentary order
freq - frequency
FSK - frequency-shift keying
ft - feet
FTX - field training exercise
ground - a metallic connection with the earth to establish ground (or earth) potential
HAHO - high altitude, high opening
half-wave antenna - an antenna whose electrical length is half the wavelength of the transmitted or received frequency
HALO - high altitude, low opening
HC - hydrogen chloride
HE - high explosive
HF - high frequency
hrs - hours
Hz - hertz
IAW - in accordance with
ID - identification
illum - illumination
in - inches
insulator - a device or material that has a high electrical resistance
interference - any undesired signal that tends to interfere with the desired signal
IRP - initial rally point
jamming - deliberate interference intended to prevent reception of signals in a specific frequency band
KIM - keep-in-memory (exercise game)
laser - light amplification by simulated emission of radiation
LBE - loading-bearing equipment
LFX - live-fire exercise
line of departure - the line defined by the bore of the rifle or the path the bullet would take without gravity
line of sight - a straight line from the eye through the aiming device to the point of aim
L/R - left/right
LR - laser range finder
LSA - lubricating oil, weapons, semi fluid
LZ - landing zone
m - meters
MEDEVAC - medical evacuation
METT-T - mission, enemy, terrain, troops and time available
MHz - megahertz
midrange trajectory/maximum ordinate - the highest point the bullet reaches on its way to the target this point must be known to engage a target that requires firing underneath an overhead obstacle, such as a bridge or a tree; inattention to midrange trajectory may cause the sniper to hit the obstacle instead of the target
MIJI - meaconing, intrusion, jamming, and interference
MILES - multiple-integrated laser engagement system
min - minute (s)
mm - millimeter
MOA - an angle that would cover 1 inch at a distance of 100 yards, 2 inches at 200 yards, and so on; each click of sight adjustment is equal to one minute of angle
MOPP - mission-oriented protection posture
MOUT - military operations on urbanized terrain
mph - miles per hour
MRE - meal, ready-to-eat
MTP - mission training plan
muzzle velocity - the speed of the bullet as it leaves the rifle barrel, measured in feet per second; it varies according to various factors, such as ammunition type and lot number, temperature, and humidity
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NBC - nuclear, biological, chemical
NCO - noncommissioned officer
NGF - naval gunfire
NOD - night observation device
NSN - national stock number
OIR - other intelligence requirements
OP - observation post
OPORD - operation order
OPSEC - operations security
optical sight - sight with lenses, prisms, or mirrors used in lieu of iron sights
ORP - objective rally point
O-T - observer-target
PD - point-detonating
PFC - private first class
PIR - priority intelligence requirements
POC - point of contact
point of aim - the exact spot on a target the rifle sights are aligned with
point of impact - the point that a bullet strikes; usually considered in relation to point of aim
PSG - platoon sergeant
PT - physical training
PW - prisoner of war
PZ - pickup zone
QRF - quick-reaction force
quarter-wave antenna - an antenna with an electrical length that is equal to one-quarter wavelength of the signal being transmitted or received
RAAMS - remote anti-armor mine system
range card - small chart on which ranges and directions to various targets and other important points in the area under fire are recorded
RAP - rocket-assisted projectile
RBC - rifle bore cleaner
recoil - the rearward motion or kick of a gun upon firing
RECONREP - reconnaissance report
retained velocity - the speed of the bullet when it reaches the target; due to drag, the velocity will be reduced
RF - radio frequency
RFA - restrictive fire area
RFL - restrictive fire line
round - may refer to a complete cartridge or to the bullet
RSTA - reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
S1 - adjutant
S2 - intelligence officer
S3 - operations and training officer
S4 - supply officer
SALUTE - size, activity, location, unit, time, and equipment
SAW - squad automatic weapon
SEO - sniper employment officer
servomechanism - an automatic device for controlling large amounts of power by using small amounts of power
SFC - sergeant first class
SGT - sergeant
SHELREP - shelling report
shot group - a number of shots fired using the same aiming point which accounts for rifle, ammunition, and firer varibility three shots are enough, but any number of rounds may be fired in a group
sight alignment - placing the center tip of the front sight post in the exact center of the rear aperture
silhouette target - a target that represents the outline of a man
single sideband - a system of radio communications in which the carrier and either the upper or lower sideband is removed from AM transmission to reduce the channel width and improve the signal-to-noise ratio
SIR - specific information requirements
SITREP - situation report
SM - smoke munitions
SOI - signal operation instructions
SOP - standing operating procedure
SP - self-propelled
SPC - specialist
SPIES - special patrol insertion/extraction system
SPOTREP - spot report
SSB - single sideband
STABO - a system for extracting personnel by helicopter
STANAG - Standardization Agreement
static - sharp, short bursts of noise on a radio receiver caused by electrical disturbances in the atmosphere or by electrical machinery
steady position - the first marksmanship fundamental, which refers to the establishment of a position that allows the weapon to be held still while it is being fire
stock weld - the contact of the cheek with the stock of the weapon
STRAC - standards in training commission
STX - situational training exercise
supported position - any position that uses something other than the body to steady the weapon (artificial support)
SWS - sniper weapon system
TAB - tactical air command
TFFP - tentative final firing position
time of flight - the amount of time it takes for the bullet to reach the target from the time the round exits the rifle
TOC - tactical operations center
TOW - tube-launched, optically tracked wire-guided (missile)
trajectory - the path of the bullet as it travels to the target
TRC - training readiness condition
TRP - target reference point
unidirectional - in one direction only
unsupported position - any position that requires the firer to hold the weapon steady using only his body (bone support)
USAF - United States Air Force
USAR - United States Army Reserve
USC - United States Code
USMC - United States Marine Corp
USN - United States Navy
VHF - very high frequency
VT - variable time
wavelength - the distance a wave travels during one complete cycle; it is equal to the velocity divided by the frequency
windage adjustment - moving the rear sight aperture to cause the bullet to strike left or right on the target
WP - white phosphorus
zeroing - adjusting the rifle sights so bullets hit the aiming point at a given range