Cauldron

by Larry Bond

  BfV — Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Roughly the German equivalent of the American FBI.

  BRDM — A small, lightly armored, four-wheeled Russian reconnaissance car, it can carry a heavy machine gun or antitank missiles. It has been widely exported.

  Brigade — Made up of three to four battalions, and smaller, specialized units, a brigade is commanded by a colonel or a brigadier general. Several brigades make up a division.

  BTR-80 — A Russian-designed, eight-wheeled troop carrier, it has light armor and only a heavy machine gun for armament. It can carry 14 troops.

  CAP — combat air patrol. Fighters, armed and aloft, patrolling against sudden enemy air attack.

  CIA — The Central Intelligence Agency is tasked to provide information on threats to the United States outside her own borders. For this purpose, the CIA has personell assigned to foreign embassies around the world. The individual in charge is the “chief of station.” CIA officers may operate openly, or they may have cover identities, e.g., “assistant trade attaché.”

  CIC — combat information center. A space on a warship where information from all the ship’s sensors (radar, sonar, etc.) is collected, displayed, analyzed, and acted on. The ship’s captain will “fight his ship” from here, not from the bridge.

  Company — A group of three to four platoons, totaling 100 to 200 men, a company is commanded by a captain. Tank companies contain ten to fifteen armored vehicles. Several companies make up a battalion.

  Corps — A group of two to four divisions, a corps is commanded by a lieutenant general. A corps will usually contain roughly 40,000 soldiers and more than 1,000 tanks and APCs.

  CP — command post.

  DCI — director of Central Intelligence. The head of the CIA, besides running his own organization, is tasked with collecting and presenting information from all the U.S. intelligence agencies to the President. These include the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and probably some outfits nobody’s ever heard of.

  DGSE — Direction Générale de Sécurité Extérieur. The General Directorate of External Security is the French security service, equivalent to the American CIA.

  Division — In Western armies, divisions are made up of several brigades. In armies modeled on the Soviet pattern, divisions consist of several regiments. In both cases, divisions are commanded by major generals.

  Durandal — A French-made weapon, the Durandal is a rocket-boosted, armor-piercing bomb dropped from a low-flying aircraft. It is designed to “crater” runways so that they cannot be used by airplanes.

  E-2C Hawkeye — The Hawkeye is a twin-turboprop airplane launched from aircraft carriers. It is unarmed, but it carries the APS-145 radar in a huge saucer on its back. Carrying a crew of radar operators and fighter controllers, the E-2C can spot air and surface contacts up to 250 miles away.

  E-3 Sentry — An ultrasophisticated radar aircraft, the E-3 AWACS is built into a converted Boeing 707 airframe. Like the E-2C Hawkeye, the E-3 mounts a huge radar in a saucer on top. Its radar can spot sea surface and air targets 360 miles away, and vector fighters to intercept them.

  EA-6B Prowler — An adaptation of the Intruder attack jet, the Prowler has a crew of four and is usually unarmed. Instead of carrying ordnance, it uses a suite of powerful jammers to scramble enemy radars and radio circuits.

  ECM — electronic countermeasures. This term is technically defined as a range of measures designed to deny the enemy the use of radar or radio but is used colloquially to mean radar or radio jamming.

  EMCON — Emission control is the technique of shutting down radars and radios so that the enemy will not detect their emissions and learn of your presence. “Radio silence” is a common part of EMCON, but to be effective it must include radars and even active sonar emissions as well.

  ESM — electronic support measures. This meaningless term describes equipment used to detect enemy radars. All radars send out energy and “listen” for “echoes” bouncing back from solid surfaces. The energy they emit can be detected by another radar receiver, and, depending on the signal’s characteristics, it can give the listener the direction and type of enemy unit.

  F-14 Tomcat — A huge, carrier-launched fighter, the F-14 is designed to engage enemy aircraft at long range with Phoenix and Sparrow radar-guided missiles. It is also fairly maneuverable and carries Sidewinders and a 20mm cannon for close-in work. The Tomcat has two engines and a crew of two.

  F-15 Eagle — First appearing in the 1970s, the Eagle is an outstanding air-to-air fighter, equipped with the powerful APG-70 radar and up to eight air-to-air missiles, as well as a 20mm rotary cannon. It has a long range, is very maneuverable, but is a little on the large side.

  F-15E Strike Eagle — This two-seat version of the F-15 can still carry air-to-air missiles, but it is intended for long-range, low-altitude attack missions, hitting enemy targets well back from the front lines.

  F-117A — The famous, oddly angled “Black Jet” is used by the U.S. Air Force to destroy vital, heavily defended targets. Alternately it can attack the defenses themselves, clearing the way for more conventional aircraft to attack safely. A combination of flat surfaces and special materials makes the plane virtually invisible to radar. Its official name is Nighthawk, but it is called the Black Jet by its crews.

  F/A-18 Hornet — A twin-engine, single-seat carrier jet designed to replace the A-7 Corsair II, the F-18 is a multirole aircraft designed to be equally adept as either an attack aircraft or an air-superiority fighter. It is very maneuverable.

  FA MAS — One of the most compact assault rifles ever designed, the FA MAS is the French Army’s standard infantry weapon. It uses a “bullpup” configuration with the trigger group in front of a 25-round magazine. Its unique appearance has earned it the nickname “Le Clarion“ (the Bugle).

  Fire team — the smallest unit of tactical firepower. A fire team contains three or four men led by a corporal or junior sergeant. For instance, it might have three riflemen, one of whom also has a grenade launcher, and a man with a light machine gun. Two or three fire teams make up a squad.

  FIS — Federal Investigative Service, the Russian agency that has assumed the old KGB’s internal security and counterintelligence functions.

  FLIR — forward-looking infrared. A heat-sensitive TV camera used by aircraft that displays a magnified image on a video screen. It is very effective, in both day and night.

  Fuchs — A German armored personnel carrier, it has six wheels, light armor, and can carry 14 troops. It is often used for specialized purposes, such as carrying surveillance radars, supplies, or as a command vehicle.

  G3A3 — The standard German infantry weapon, it fires a large 7.62mm round and weighs almost ten pounds. It has a 20-shot magazine. It has been widely exported.

  G11 — The planned standard weapon for the German Army, this futuristic-looking rifle is expected to enter service around the turn of the century. It fires a 4.7mm caseless round from a 50-round magazine and weighs just over eight pounds. It has an extremely high rate of fire and will be very accurate.

  Gazelle — This French-made light helicopter has been widely exported. It can carry two men and a light load of antitank missiles or an autocannon. It is usually used for scouting.

  G-PALS — Global Protection Against Limited Strikes. The name currently used to describe a planned strategic defense system that would destroy enemy ballistic missiles before they could reach their targets. As currently envisioned, the system would include ground-based interceptors in the continental U.S., mobile ground-based interceptors to accompany U.S. military units overseas, and several “constellations” of advanced space-based interceptors in low earth orbit.

  HELIOS — a French surveillance satellite.

  HOT — A Franco-German antitank missile, it has a long range (4,000 meters) and a large warhead, and is in the same class as the American TOW.

  HUD — heads-up display.
Projects important information onto a piece of glass mounted directly in front of the pilot’s eyes, making it possible to avoid going “heads down” to look at cockpit instruments. The HUD is a vital aid during fast-moving air combat. The data displayed includes speed, altitude, weapons status, g-forces, target data, and fuel status.

  Humvee — Actually HMMWV, but pronounced “hummvee,” this light utility truck replaced the U.S. Army’s jeep, which was proving too small to carry many loads. The jeep’s gasoline engine was also a drawback, and the HMMWV uses a diesel.

  IFF — Identification, Friend or Foe. In this method of identifying unknown aircraft, an air-search radar uses a special antenna to send out coded radar pulses. A transponder (receiver-transmitter) on the plane checks the code, and if it is correct, responds with a signal identifying the aircraft. Unfriendly aircraft do not respond to the signal — appearing only as a radar blip.

  IR — infrared. This refers to the heat emitted by objects. This heat can be detected, and even used as a light source.

  IR homing — Some air-to-air missiles home in on the heat generated by an aircraft. The first IR seekers, built in the 1950s, had to be looking almost directly up a jet engine’s tailpipe. They were also easily deceived by flares or the sun. Current-generation IR seekers can “see” the hot metal on the leading edge of a plane’s wing, as well as its exhaust, and over a much larger field of view. They are also very hard to decoy. The American Sidewinder, French Magic, and Russian Archer AAMs all use IR homing.

  Iwo Jima- class assault carrier (Inchon) — Although these ships look like aircraft carriers, they do not carry jet aircraft. Instead they carry large helicopters and up to a battalion of marines.

  Javelin — A replacement for the near-worthless Dragon, the Javelin antitank missile has a range of 2,000 meters and can either attack the thin top armor of a main battle tank or the side armor of a lightly armored vehicle. Unlike its predecessor, it does not use a wire, but carries its own “fire and forget” homing system. It takes a team of three men to carry the launcher and reload missiles. Javelin will enter U.S. Army service in the mid-1990s.

  Kormoran 2 — A German-built antiship missile, the Kormoran has a relatively short range (just over 30 miles) but flies at sea-skimming altitude. This makes it a difficult target for many antiaircraft weapons. It carries a 480-pound warhead.

  Leahy- class cruiser (Dale) — These large ships were purpose-built to escort aircraft carriers and protect them from air attack. They also carry some antisubmarine and antisurface weapons, but their “main battery” is a pair of twin-railed surface-to-air missile launchers, one forward, one aft.

  LeClerc — An advanced French battle tank, the LeClerc will replace the aging AMX-30s in the mid-1990s. It uses composite layered armor and is fitted with a 120mm gun and an auto loader. It is in the same class as the U.S. M1A2 Abrams and the German Leopard 2.

  Leopard 1 — The first German tank built after World War II, it appeared in the 1960s. Combining a low silhouette with high speed and a 105mm gun, the Leopard was more than a match for its expected adversary, the T-55, and even its successor, the T-62. It was replaced in front line service in the late 1970s by the Leopard 2.

  Leopard 2 — Larger and heavier than the Leopard 1, the Leopard 2 is the equal of the M1A2 Abrams but appeared several years earlier. It carries a 120mm gun, a sophisticated fire control system, and is fitted with advanced armor, which greatly increases its protection against tank-killing missiles.

  Light infantry — Several types of infantry units, airborne, airmobile, and Rangers among them, class themselves as “light” infantry. They do not have many armored vehicles, if any, or in most cases even trucks. This makes them less than mobile on a modern battlefield, but in proper terrain, they can cause the enemy a great deal of trouble. Because they are “light,” they are easily transported and are often the first units present in a conflict.

  LNG — liquefied natural gas.

  Los Angeles- class submarine (Boston) — The principal U.S. attack sub class, the Los Angeles boats carry a powerful sonar suite and four torpedo tubes. Almost twenty years after entering service, they are still among the most effective subs in existence.

  Luchs — An eight-wheeled armored car, the Luchs carries a 20mm gun in a small turret. It is lightly armored but is very useful for scouting.

  M1A2 Abrams — The American main battle tank, the latest versions of which carry a 120mm gun and layered armor. A very fast, well-armored vehicle with a sophisticated fire control system, the Abrams is a match for any other tank now in production.

  M2 Bradley — Designed to carry infantry, the Bradley is classed as an “infantry fighting vehicle,” because it also mounts a 25mm gun and a TOW antitank missile launcher.

  M16 — The standard U.S. Army infantry weapon, it is much lighter and smaller than its predecessor, the M14 rifle. The M16 weighs eight and a half pounds.

  M113 — One of the first armored personnel carriers, the M113 has been produced in huge numbers, and has seen service all over the world. Nothing more than a lightly armored box on a tracked chassis, it can carry 11 troops.

  M577 — A variant of the M113 personnel carrier, it is fitted out with radios and map tables for use as a command vehicle.

  MAD — Magnetic anomaly detector. A sensitive instrument used to detect the minute bending in the earth’s magnetic field caused by large masses of metal (like submarine hulls). It has a very short range, half a mile or less.

  Marder — A German infantry fighting vehicle, it currently mounts a 20mm cannon and an antitank missile launcher in a small turret. The German Army plans to upgrade its existing Marders with a new 25mm cannon during the 1990s.

  Mica — A new French air-to-air missile in the same class as the American AMRAAM, the Mica will be launched from the Mirage 2000 and the Rafale. It can be fitted with either a radar or heat-seeking head, and has a range of 30 miles.

  MiG-29 Fulcrum — An advanced Russian air- superiority fighter, the Fulcrum is in the same class as the American F/A-18 Hornet and the French Mirage 2000. It carries both radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles and has a 30mm cannon. It is fitted with the Slot Back radar.

  Milan — A wire-guided Franco-German antitank missile in the same class as the American Dragon but much more effective, it has a range of 2,000 meters and is used by many countries.

  Mirage 2000 — A French delta-winged air superiority fighter, it is designed to carry air-to-air missiles, but it can also carry air-to-surface and antiship missiles.

  Mirage F1 — An older French fighter, the swept-wing F1 can carry the Super 530 air-to-air missile and a light load of bombs or missiles.

  MP5 — Built in many different versions, the MP5 is a submachine gun firing a 9mm round from a 15- or 30-shot magazine. It weighs about five pounds and is carried by armored vehicle crews and other troops whose duties prevent them from carrying a rifle.

  Nimitz — class carrier (George Washington, Carl Vinson, Theodore Roosevelt) — These nuclear-powered aircraft carriers displace almost 100,000 tons and are over 1,000 feet long. They can carry 80 to 90 aircraft and crews of more than 6,000.

  O. H. Perry — class frigate (Simpson, Klakring) — Designed to escort other ships, Perry-class frigates have a good mix of antisubmarine, antiaircraft, and antisurface weapons, but their relatively small size prevents them from carrying a heavy armament.

  Ossie — a derogatory term in German used to describe former East Germans, from the German ost, for “east.” Some regard Ossies as lazy and without ambition, as well as potentially disloyal.

  PAH-2 — A heavily armored Franco-German attack helicopter, it will carry a mix of advanced antitank missiles and 30mm cannon. It has a crew of two and is in the same class as the American Apache and the Russian Havoc.

  Panzer — the term used to describe German units primarily made up of tanks.

  Panzergrenadiers — German armored infantry, or infantry riding in armored troop carriers.

  Phalanx — An autom
ated close-in defense weapon against antiship missiles, it combines a 20mm Gatling cannon and a high-frequency radar. Firing a stream of depleted uranium projectiles, it is very accurate.

  Platoon — a group of three or four squads, led by a first or second lieutenant, with about 30 to 40 troops. Tank platoons contain three to five armored vehicles. Several platoons make up a company.

  Proximity fuse — A small device used primarily against aircraft, it detonates a shell or missile warhead when it passes near the plane. Proximity fuses use radar, laser, or infrared sensors to measure the distance to a target.

  Puma — A French-designed troop-carrying helicopter, it can carry 16 infantrymen and has been widely exported.

  R.550 Magic 2 — A heat-seeking missile designed and exported by the French, it is in the same class as later models of the American Sidewinder. It has a range of about ten miles.

  Rafale — An advanced air superiority fighter. A computer-controlled flight system and fully movable canards will make the Rafale extremely maneuverable. Designed to be “low observable,” it will be difficult to spot by radar or IR, although not a full stealth design.

  Regiment — In the Russian pattern, three to four battalions make up a regiment. Commanded by a colonel, four regiments make up a Russian-style division.

  Regimental system — All U.S. army formations are based on regiments of three battalions. Some of these regiments have histories going back to the Revolutionary War, and soldiers identify themselves with their assigned regiment. Battalions from the regiment will be assigned on a long-term basis to various divisions. For example, the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division is made up of all three battalions of the 187th Infantry Regiment.

  RPG, RPG-16 — rocket propelled grenade. These Russian one-man antitank weapons use a shaped charge to penetrate a tank’s side or rear armor, at short ranges, usually 50 to 500 meters. The latest model is the RPG-16, which carries one rocket in a disposable tube.

  RWR — radar warning receiver. A special detector on board an aircraft that warns of enemy weapons radars locked on the plane.