Trip Reports: Abbreviations
First published in 2025. I started this website in the late 1990s to share information with a few history-minded friends. We had common interests in WWII and Cold War military aviation, so I used abbreviations freely knowing they would be understood. I had no idea this website would last as long as it has, or be viewed by so many people with or without military backgrounds. For readers who have not spent decades researching the topic, I've listed some common abbreviations here. Let me know if I've used others that you are not familiar with. AAF Army Air Forces AAFES Army-Air Force Exchange Service AAFld Army Air Field AB Air Base ACC Air Combat Command ADC Air Defense Command AETC Air Education and Training Command AF Air Force AFAF Air Force Auxiliary Field AFB Air Force Base AFM Air Force Manual AFP Air Force Plant AFPAM Air Force Pamphlet AFR Air Force Regulation AFS Air Force Station AFTO Air Force Technical Order ANG Air National Guard ArNG Army National Guard ATC Air Training Command BOMARC Boeing/Michigan Aeronautical Research Center BX Base Exchange CATM Combat Arms Training and Maintenance DAF Department of the Air Force DPC Defense Plant Corporation ESS Electronic Scoring System F-I Fighter-Interceptor FIS Fighter-Interceptor Squadron FM Field Manual GAT Ground to Air Transmitter GATR Ground to Air Transmitter/Receiver GF Gap Filler GSA General Services Administration GWEN Ground Wave Emergency Network HAF Headquarters Air Force HF High Frequency HO Air Force office symbol code for history office or historian IFC Integrated Fire Control ILC Installation Location Code ILS Instrument Landing System Lat Latitude LCB Launch Control Building LCEB Launch Control Equipment Building LCF Launch Control Facility LCSB Launch Control Support Building LF Launch Facility Lon Longitude MAC Military Airlift Command MAF Missile Alert Facility MAJCOM Major Command MM Middle Marker MUTES Multiple Threat Emitter Simulator NAF Numbered Air Force NAVAID Navigational Aid NAVSPASUR Naval Space Surveillance NG National Guard OM Outer Marker OTH-B Over the Horizon-Backscatter PIN Permanent Installation Number POW Prisoner of War RBS Radar Bomb Scoring RBSS Radar Bomb Scoring Site RON Remain Overnight RSU Runway Supervisory Unit SAC Strategic Air Command SAGE Semi-Automatic Ground Environment SAMTU Small Arms Marksmanship Training Unit TAC Tactical Air Command TDY Temporary Duty TM Technical Manual TO Technical Order UHF Ultra High Frequency USA United States of America, or United States Army USAF United States Air Force USMC United States Marine Corps VHF Very High Frequency WAA War Assets AdministrationUpdated July 26, 2025
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