FSAF Future Surface-to-Air [Missile] Family.
FSC (1) Fire Solution Computer. (2) Fire Support Coordination.
FSCATT Fire Support CATT [for Weapons] (US Army term).
FSCL Fire Support Coordination Line.
FSD OBSOLETE. Full Scale Development Phase. See EMD.
FSE Fire Support Element.
FSM Firmware Support Manual.
FSP Facility Security Plan.
FSS Fixed Satellite Service.
FSST Forward Space Support in-Theater.
FST Flight System Testbed.
FSU Former Soviet Union.
FSU Republics Former Soviet Union Republics.
FT Flight Test.
Ft Foot
FTC Federal Trade Commission.
FTD OBSOLETE. Foreign Technology Division (USAF), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.
See NAIC.
FTI Fixed Target Indicator
FTLS Formal Top-Level Specification.
FTP File Transfer Protocol (ADP/Internet term).
FTR Flight Test Round.
FTS (1) Flight Test Summary (2) Federal Telephone Service FTS 2000 Federal Telecommunications System 2000.
FTV (1) Functional Technology Validation. (2) Flight Test Vehicle.
FTX Field Training Exercise.
FU Fire Unit (PATRIOT).
FUE First Unit Equipped.
Full Mission Capable
Material condition of an aircraft or training device indicting that it can perform all of its missions. Also called FMC.
Full Operational Capability (FOC)
The full attainment of the capability to employ effectively a weapon, item of equipment, or system of approved specific characteristics, which is manned and operated by a trained, equipped, and supported military unit or force.
Full Rate Production
Production of economic quantities following stabilization of the system design and prove-out of the production process.
Fully Configured End Item
The final combination of end products, component parts, and/or materials, which is fully ready for its intended operational use. Normally all production units are
A network in which each node is directly connected with every other node.
Functional Analysis
An approach to the solution of a problem, in which the problem is broken down into its component function, such as intelligence, firepower, or mobility. Each relevant function is then further analyzed and broken down into smaller functional components until a level of molecularity suitable for solution of the problem is attained.
Functional Baseline
(1) Established after the system requirements analysis/design activity has completed the definition of the system functions and associated data, interface characteristics, functional characteristics for key configuration items, and tests required to demonstrate achievement of each specified characteristic. This Government normally controls the baseline.
(2) In configuration management, the initial approved technical documentation for a configuration item.
(3) Documentation describing a system’s functional characteristics and the verification required to demonstrate the achievement of requirements.
Functional Configuration Audit (FCA)
The formal examination of functional characteristics test data for configuration item, prior to acceptance, to verify that the item has achieved the performance specified in its functional or allocated configuration identification.
Functional Economic Analysis (FEA)
A structured proposal that serves as the principal part of a decision package for enterprise leadership. It includes an analysis of functional process needs or problems; proposed solutions, assumptions, and constraints; alternatives; life-cycle costs; benefits and/or cost analysis; and investment risk analysis. It is consistent with, and amplifies, existing DoD economic analysis policy in DoD Instruction 7041.3.
Functional Kill The destruction of a target by disabling vital components in a way not immediately detectable, but which nevertheless prevents the target from functioning properly. An example is the destruction of electronics in a guidance system by a neutral particle beam. Also referred to as “soft kill.”
Functional Support
Systematized methodologies and procedures, or a common set of standards, applied to materiel acquisition programs.
Functional Technology Validation (FTV)
Program with the intent of proving or disproving a technology is useful for a given application.
Functional Testing
The portion of testing in which the advertised features of a system are tested for correct operation.
Funding Profile Program funding, usually displayed in columnar spreadsheet format by years, starting with previous year through current year and out-years.
Future Years Defense Program (FYDP)
The official DoD document that summarizes forces and resources associated with programs approved by the Secretary of Defense. Its three parts are the organizations affected, appropriations accounts and the 11 major force programs (strategic forces, airlift, R&D, etc.). Under the biennial PPBS cycle, the FYDP is updated in even years in April (POM); October (budget); and then in January (President’s budget) of odd years. The primary data element in the FYDP is the Program Element (P.E.). Formerly known as the Five Years Defense Program.
FWCA Fixed Wing Combat Aircraft.
Fwd Forward.
FXBR Forward-based X-Band Radar.
FY Fiscal Year.
FYDP Future Years Defense Program.
G Giga (one thousand million).
g Gram.
G&A General and Administrative costs.
G&C Guidance and Control.
G&O Goals and Objectives.
G/A Ground-to-Air
G/G Ground-to-Ground.
GaAs Gallium Arsenide.
Galosh The Soviet Anti-Ballistic Missile system built to defend Moscow from missile attack.
Gamma-Ray Electromagnetic radiation resulting from nuclear transitions. Although incorrect, high-energy radiation, particularly “bremsstrahlung,” is sometimes referred to as gamma radiation.
Gamma-Ray Laser
A laser which generates a beam of gamma rays; also called a “graser.” A gamma-ray laser, if developed, would be a type of x-ray laser; although it would employ nuclear reactions, it need not (but might) employ nuclear fission or fusion reactions or explosions.
GAMS GPS (Global Positioning System)-Aided Munitions.
GaNMPA Gallium Nitride Microwave Power Amplifiers. (A demonstration program to develop GaN based transistors and integrated circuits for power amplifiers in systems such as Ground Based Radar. Goal is to reduce total weight and size by a factor of 10).
GAO General Accounting Office.
GARDIAN General Area Defense Integrated Anti-missile Laser System.
GAT Government Acceptance Testing.
GAT CALL Guidance, Apportionment, and Targeting Call (JFACC term).
GATE Graphic Analysis Tool Environment.
Gateway An element that contained a node on the SDS backbone network as well as on some other network(s) and would have performed protocol and format conversions necessary to accept messages from one network and retransmit them on the other.
GATS GPS (Global Positioning System)-Aided Targeting System.
GB (1) Ground-Based. (2) Gigabyte.
GBD Global Burst Detector.
GBDL Ground-Based Data Link.
GBEV Ground Based Experimental Version.
GBFEL Ground-Based Free Electron Laser.
GBHE Ground-Based Hypervelocity Gun Experiment.
GBHRG Ground-Based Hypervelocity Rail Gun.
GBI OBSOLETE. See Ground-Based Interceptor.
GBI-P Ground-Based Interceptor – Prototype.
GBI-X Ground-Based Interceptor Experiment.
GBKV Ground-Based Kinetic Kill Vehicle.
GBL Ground-Based Laser.
GBLD Ground-Based Launcher Demonstration.
GBLRS Ground-Based Laser Repeater Station.
GBM Global Battle Managers.
GBMD Global Ballistic Missile Defense.
GBMI Ground-Based Midcourse Interceptor.
GBOS Ground-Based Optical System.
GBPST Ground-Based Passive Signal Tracking.
GBR See Ground-Based Radar.
GBR-M Ground-Based Radar-Midcourse.
GBR-O Ground-Based Radar-Objective.
GBR-P Ground-Based Radar-Prototype.
GBRT Ground-Based Radar Terminal.
GBR-X The experimental version of the GBR.
GBRF Ground-Based Radio Frequency.
GBRI Ground-Based Rocket Interceptor.
GBRT Ground-Based Radar Terminal.
GBS Ground-Based Sensor.
GCA (1) Guidance, Control, and Avionics. (2) Guidance, Control, and Airframe.
GCC Ground Component Commander (JFACC term).
GCCS Global Command and Control System.
GCI Ground Control Intercept.
GCN Ground Communications Network.
GCS Ground Control Station.
GD General Dynamics.
GDL Gas Dynamic Laser.
GEDI Ground-Based Electromagnetically-Launched Defensive Impactors.
GEM Guidance Enhancement Missile (PATRIOT).
General Manager Program
Management Directive (GPMD)
OBSOLETE. The primary document used by the GM to direct the Service BMD PEO on the specific actions necessary to fulfill BMD program requirements.
General Specifications
A general specification covers requirements common to two or more types, classes, grades, or styles of products, services or materials; this avoids the repetition of common requirements in detail specifications. It also permits changes to common requirements to be readily affected. General specifications may also be used to cover common requirements for weapons systems and subsystems.
Generic Rest of World Target (GROW)
Strategic target being developed for GMD program.
GEO Geo-synchronous Earth Orbit.
GEODSS Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance System.
Geo-stationary Orbit (GSO)
An orbit 35,784 km above the equator. A satellite placed in such an orbit revolves around the earth once per day, maintaining the same position relative to the surface of the earth. It appears to be stationary, and is useful as a communications relay or as a surveillance post.
GEP OBSOLETE. Ground Entry Point. IFICS.
GES Ground Engineering System.
GFE Government Furnished Equipment. See Government Furnished Property.
GFI Government Furnished Information.
GFM Government Furnished Material.
GFM/P Government Furnished Material and Property. See Government Furnished Property.
GFP Government Furnished Property.
GFS Government Furnished Software. See Government Furnished Property.
Ghosting This condition occurs when two or more targets reside close to the same plane also containing two sensors viewing the targets so they are within experimental determination of having the same hinge angle F. Thus, ghosting depends on LOS error and positions.
GHz Giga Hertz (1 x 10(9) Hz).
GIDEP Government/Industry Data Exchange Program.
GIF Generic Interface.
GII Global Information Infrastructure.
GIP Ground Impact Point.
GIS Geographic Information System.
GITIS Government Integrated Technical Information System.
GLCM Ground-Launched Cruise Missile.
GLP Ground Launched Probe. See Brilliant Eyes Probe.
Global Environment
The ISTC Global Environment is responsible for the creation, propagation, and maintenance of test scenario common knowledge, how subsets of this information will be determined, and how common knowledge will be disseminated to the various element representations (nodes). The Global Environment performs functions which are common to the scenario such as timing, health, status, state vectors of objects, and effects models.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
The NAVSTAR Global Positioning System is a space-based radio navigation network providing precise positioning and navigation needs of all the military services. In the fully operational configuration, there will be 18 satellites in six orbital planes with an orbit period of 12 hours at 10,900 nautical miles altitude.
Each satellite transmits three L-band, pseudo-random noise-coded signals, one S-band, and one ultra high frequency for spacecraft-to-spacecraft data relay.
Global Protection Against Limited Strikes (GPALS)
OBSOLETE. GPALS was an architecture denoting an anti-missile system designed to provide protection against limited ballistic missile strikes, be they deliberate, accidental or unauthorized—whatever their source. GPALS was composed of three interrelated segments: (1) theater ballistic missile defenses, and associated space-based sensors, to protect U.S. forces deployed abroad, and our friends and allies; (2) ground-based defenses, with space sensors, to protect the entire United States against long-range ballistic missiles; and (3) interceptors based in space – Brilliant Pebbles – capable of providing continuous, global coverage by intercepting enemy ballistic missiles with ranges greater than several hundred miles.
Global Protection Against Limited Strikes (GPALS) Program
OBSOLETE. The GPALS Program consisted of six Major Defense Acquisition Programs: GPALS System/BMC3, National Missile Defense (NMD), Global Missile Defense (GMD), Upper Tier Theater Missile Defense (UTTMD), Corps SAM, and PATRIOT. Army PEO GPALS was re-designated PEO Missile Defenses in 1992.
GLOBIXS Global Information Exchange System.
GLONASS Global Navigational Satellite System.
GLOW Gross Lift-Off Weight.
GLP Ground Launched Probe. See Brilliant Eyes Probe.
GLS Ground-Launched Sensor.
GM (1) Guided missile. (2) General Manager.
GMACC Ground Mobile Alternate Command Center.
GMAOC Ground Mobile Alternate Operations Center.
GMCC Ground Mobile Command Center.
GMCP Ground Mobile Command Post.
GMD (1) Ground-based Midcourse Defense (formally National Missile Defense) (2) Global Missile Defense (OBSOLETE).
GMT Greenwich Mean Time.
GMTT&C Ground Mobile Tracking, Telemetry, and Control.
GN&C Guidance, Navigation, and Control.
GNC&P Guidance, Navigation, Control and Propulsion.
GND Ground.
GOCO Government Owned, Contractor Operated.
GOES Geo-stationary Operational Environmental Satellite.
GOI Government of Israel.
GOJ Government of Japan.
GOSG General Officer Steering Group.
GOSIP Government Open Systems Interconnect Profile (CALS term).
GOSP Government Open System Protocol (CALS term).
GOTS Government Off-the-Shelf.
Gov’t Government.
Government Furnished Property
Property in the possession of, or directly acquired by, the Government and subsequently made available to the contractor. (See FAR 45.101.)
Government Verification Management Plan (GVMP)
A management document that provides the overall framework for BMDS verification. It includes processes for implementation, organizational
relationships, and stakeholder responsibilities. It covers the full scope of BMDS verification and identifies how all BMDS verification activities will come together to confirm BMDS capability.
GP Group.
GPALS Global Protection Against Limited Strikes.
GPC Global Protection Center.
GPMD General Manager Program Management Directive.
GPO Government Printing Office (US).
GPP General Purpose Processor.
GPS (1) Global Positioning System. (2), Global Protection System.
GPSIU GPS Interface Unit.
GPU Guidance Processor Unit (US Army term).
Graceful Degradation
A condition in which a system continues to operate, providing service in a degraded mode rather than failing completely or catastrophically.
GRASER Ray Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. (See Gamma-Ray Laser.)
GRC General Research Corporation.
Green Code Interface Software.
A kinetic energy exoatmospheric interceptor with long flyout range to provide, where possible, a multiple engagement capability for defense of the U.S. with a relatively small number of missile launch locations. It is designed to engage post-boost vehicles and/or RVs in the midcourse phase of flight.
(USSPACECOM) (Successor to Exoatmospheric Reentry Vehicle Interceptor Subsystem (ERIS).) See EKV.
Ground-Based Interceptor Experiment (GBI-X)
Designed to infuse advanced technology and promote competitive environment for GBI.
Ground-Based Radar (GBR)
A task-able, modular, multi-function, phased-array radar that provides surveillance, tracking and engagement planning data in post-boost, midcourse, and terminal flight phases within its capabilities. It also provides target discrimination, in-flight target updates (IFTUs), and target object maps (TOMs) to interceptor vehicles. See THAAD. (USSPACECOM)
Ground-Based Radar Terminal (GBRT)
The sensor for the NMD system. An X-band, ground-based, phased array radar capable of detecting, tracking, and providing discrimination information to a ground-based interceptor.
Ground-based Surveillance and Tracking System (GSTS)
A fast-response rocket-launched sensor, which can support the SDS midcourse sensor suite by employing multiple Long Wavelength Infrared (LWIR) wavebands and a visible waveband sensor to provide tracking and discrimination of potentially lethal targets.
Ground Entry Point (GEP)
OBSOLETE. GEPs provide the communications interfaces between the SDS space orbital/sub-orbital elements and the C2E. See IFICS.
Ground Mobile Regional Operations Center (GMROC)
Transportable ground segment of the Regional Operations Center.
Ground Zero The point on the surface of the earth at, or vertically below or above, the center of a planned or actual nuclear detonation.
GS Garrison Support (US Army term).
GSA General Services Administration (US).
GSDC Ground Station Demonstration Lab.
GSE (1) Ground Support Equipment. (2) Government Support Equipment.
GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.
GSII Government Services Information Infrastructure.
GSM Ground Station Module.
GSO Geo-stationary Orbit.
GSR Ground Station Radar.
GSTS OBSOLETE. A fast-response, rocket-launched, Long Wavelength Infrared (LWIR) and visible waveband sensor, which would have enhanced the information available from the SDS’ midcourse sensor suite by providing tracking and discrimination data on potentially lethal targets.
GSTS (F) GSTS Farm.
GTA Ground Test Accelerator.
GTACS Ground Theater Air Control System.
GTE GTE Corporation.
GTF Guided Test Flights.
GTM Global Track Manager.
GTN General Technical Note.
GTR Gulf Test Range, Eglin AFB, FL.
GTSF Guidance Test and Simulation Facility (PATRIOT), Huntsville, AL.
GTV Guided Test Vehicle.
GUI Graphic User Interface.
Guidance (1) Direction, altitude control, and navigation (where appropriate) of sensors or interceptor vehicles.
(2) The entire process by which target intelligence information received by a guided missile is used to effect proper flight control to cause timely direction changes for effective target interception.
Guidance Enhanced Missile (GEM)
A companion program to PATRIOT PAC-2, which includes enhancements to the radar to increase intercept range and performance.
Guidance System (Missile)
A system, which evaluates flight information, correlates it with target data, determines the desired flight path of the missile, and communicates the necessary commands to the missile flight control system.
Guided Missile An unmanned vehicle moving above the surface of the earth, whose trajectory or flight path is capable of being altered by an external or internal mechanism.
GVSC Generic VHSIC (Very High Speed Integrated Circuit) Spaceborne Computer.
GWAPS Gulf War Air Power Survey, 1994 [a DoD-sponsored survey].
Gwd Giga watt-days.
GWEN Ground Wave Emergency Network.
GZ Ground Zero.
H Hour.
H&S Health and Status.
H/W Hardware.
HA Higher Authority.
HABE High Altitude Balloon Experiment.
HAC House Appropriations Committee (US).
HADS High Altitude Defense System.
HALE High Altitude Long-Endurance.
HALE UAV High Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
Half-Value Thickness (HVT)
The thickness of a given material, which will absorb half the gamma radiation incident upon it. This thickness is inversely proportional to its density and also depends on the energy of the gamma rays.
HALO II High Altitude Observatory II
HAMS Hardness Assurance, Maintenance and Surveillance.
Handoff This occurs when information on positions, velocities and tracks are given by one sensor or system to another and the first sensor or system continues to track the objects.
Handover This occurs when information is passed on to another sensor or system in which the first does not continue to track.
HAOI High Altitude Optical Imaging.
HAOIS High Altitude Optical Imaging System.
HAP High Altitude Probe.
Hard Kill (HK) Destruction of a target in such a way as to produce unambiguous visible evidence of its neutralization.
Hardening Design and manufacturing process and other measures, which may be employed to render military assets less vulnerable.
HARDMAN Hardware/Military Manpower Integration (Navy ILS term).
Hardness A property of a target; measured by the power needed per unit area to destroy the target. A hard target is more difficult to kill than a soft target.
Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL)
Tests in which BM/C3 computer and communication test systems will be in communication with some of the hardware test facilities developed for other BMD technology programs.
Hardware Security
Computer equipment features or devices used in an ADP system to preclude unauthorized access to data or system resources.
HARM High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile.
HASC House Armed Services Committee (US).
HASP Hardened Ada Signal Processor.
HATELM High-speed Anti-TEL Missile.
HATMD High-Altitude Theater Missile Defense. (U.S. Army) HAVE STARE Name assigned a proven sensor capability.
HAWK Homing All-the-Way Killer.
HBCU/MI Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions.
HBHO Hard-body Hand-over [algorithms].
HCO High Consequence Option (Safety Engineering term).
HCT Mercury Cadmium Telluride.
HDA Hybrid Detector Assembly.
HDBK Handbook.
HDR High Data Rate.
HDX Half Duplex (TelComm/Computer term).
HE (1) High Explosive. (2) High Energy.
Health and Status (H&S)
Health and Status pertains to a unit’s ability to assess the conditions of its subsystem functions. The term H&S is used for units in remote locations, such as satellites, where ground controls must interface with BITE to determine operational status of the satellite and its equipment.
Heavy Replicas (HREPS)
Decoys, which by virtue of shape, size, and mass, closely approximate an RV’s signature. HREPS have significant off- load penalty.
HEDI OBSOLETE. See High Endoatmospheric Defense Interceptor.
HEDR High Endoatmospheric Defense Radar.
HEDS High Endoatmospheric Defense System.
HEI High Endoatmospheric Interceptor.
HEL High Energy Laser.
HELKS High Energy Laser Kill System.
HELLO High Energy Laser Light Opportunity.
HELSTF High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility.
HELWS High Energy Laser Weapon System.
HEMP High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse.
HEMTT Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (US Army prime mover).
Hen House Soviet area defense radar used as a component of the Moscow ABM system that provides VHF coverage of space to monitor orbiting satellites and early warning of ICBMs launched from the U.S.
HEO See High Earth Orbit.
HERA (1) An improved surrogate TBM test target.
(2) Two-stage, ground launched solid propellant theater target vehicle. (MDA Lexicon)
HERO Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Ordnance (SM-2 Bk IVA).
HESP High Efficiency Solar Panel.
HEU Highly Enriched Uranium.
HF (1) High Frequency. (2) Hydrogen fluoride.
HF/DF (1) High Frequency/Direction Finding.
(2) Hydrogen Fluoride/Deuterium Fluoride. (Chemicals used in IR chemical lasers).
HFCNR High Frequency Combat Net Radio.
HFE Human Factors Engineering.
HgCdTe Mercury Cadmium Telluride.
HgCdTe Mercury Cadmium Telluride.