List of acronyms, abbreviations and other terminology related to weapons, vehicles and tactics/procedures with relevance to standard gameplay in ARMA.
A[]
AAA[]
Anti-Aircraft Artillery: Any gun used for air defence including machine guns of various calibres and barrel lengths to heavy gun emplacements.
ACE report[]
Ammo, Casualties & Equipment report: A quick report given to the next-higher element leader regarding your element's status. Includes information ranging from ammo supply, number of casualties to equipment lost.
APC[]
- Main article: Category:Armoured personnel carriers
Armoured Personnel Carrier: A type of armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.
APFSDS[]
Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding-Sabot: A type of kinetic energy penetrator that uses kinetic energy to penetrate a target.
ATGM[]
Anti-Tank Guided Missile: A guided missile primarily designed for use against heavily armoured ground vehicles.
B[]
Bail out[]
Eject from the current vehicle (if possible). This is considered to be an emergency command and is repeated three times to ensure that everyone in the vehicle hears it.
Bingo[]
Statement to indicate that the aircraft or vehicle must immediately return to base in order to make it back before fuel runs out.
Blind[]
Crewman/friendly support cannot distinguish between friendly and enemy positions.
Bluebell[]
- Main article: Livonian Defense Force
Diminutive nickname used by United States Army soldiers to describe personnel from the Livonian Defense Force.
Plurally, the term is spelt as Bluebells.
BLUFOR[]
- Main article: Category:BLUFOR
BLUe FORce: Generic term for Western military forces (NATO members and allies). BLUFOR may also be used by non-NATO factions to denote opposing forces.
C[]
CAP[]
Combat Air Patrol: Patrol conducted by aircraft over a targeted area to ensure air superiority, intercepting or destroying any hostile aircraft entering the zone.
CAS[]
Close Air Support: Aircraft specialised at ground attack missions and are designed to provide excellent close support to infantry/ground vehicles.
CASREP[]
CASualty REPort: A quick and focused report that is designed so that a leader can quickly find out how many casualties have been taken.
CBRN[]
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear defence: Methods of properly training and equipping forces for the avoidance of contamination from nuclear/chemical/biological hazards and decontaminating polluted environments.
Cease fire[]
Called when all enemy are seemingly dead and no further shooting is necessary.
Check fire[]
Called when it is suspected (or confirmed) that a friendly unit is being fired upon by friendlies.
Chedaki[]
- Main article: Chernarussian Movement of the Red Star
Derogatory moniker used by personnel from the Chernarussian Defence Forces, the National Party and United States Marine Corps forces to denote insurgents from the Chernarussian Movement of the Red Star separatist faction.
May alternately be referred to as Daki for short and Chedakis/Dakis plurally.
Copy[]
Standard acknowledgement of radio transmission.
CSAR[]
Combat Search And Rescue: Refers to operations carried out to locate and recover the pilots and crews of aircraft which have been shot down.
D[]
Danger close[]
Indicates that friendly forces are within close proximity of the zone where friendly artillery or other forms of fire support are targeting.
DMR[]
- Main article: Category:Marksman rifles
Designated Marksman Rifle: A type of scoped, high-precision rifle that may or may not be semi-automatic. DMRs offer an effective firing range of distances exceeding those of assault rifles but do not match the long range performance of dedicated sniper rifles.
Dismount[]
Orders all crew/passengers who are not driving or manning weapons to exit the vehicle on this command.
E[]
EFP[]
Explosively Formed Penetrator: A type of shaped charge designed to penetrate armour through deforming a metal plate into a slug or rod shape and accelerating it towards a target.
EOD[]
Explosive Ordnance Disposal: Refers to the person or team of people who clear out mines and explosives to allow ground forces to safely move through an area.
ERA[]
Explosive Reactive Armour: A type of vehicle armour that explodes in reaction to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected.
F[]
FAC[]
Forward Air Controller: A soldier tasked with coordinating air elements in the support of ground forces and frequently is assigned to the company headquarters element.
FARP[]
Forward Area Refuelling/Rearming Point: A space on the battlefield designated for the re-arming and refuelling of aircraft.
Fast mover[]
Designation for fast-moving fixed-wing aircraft.
FCS[]
Fire Control System: An automated system featured in most modern armoured fighting vehicles designed to assist the operator in targeting.
Such systems usually have laser rangefinders that automatically compute the distance between the operator and their target. In addition, they can calculate lead based on the target's current velocity/heading.
FO[]
Forward Observer: A soldier tasked with coordinating artillery support for the platoon.
FOB[]
Forward Operating Base: A secure position near the front lines for providing some manner of support such as resupply, repair, a viable airfield, etc.
Fox[]
Brevity code used by NATO pilots to signal the release of an air-to-air munition:
- Fox One - Indicates the launch of a semi-active radar guided missile.
- Fox Two - Indicates the launch of an infrared-guided missile.
- Fox Three - Indicates the launch of an active radar guided missile.
- Fox Four - Historical term indicating air-to-air or air-to-surface cannon fire. Current usage is Guns, guns, guns.
Frag grenade[]
- Main article: Hand grenade
Fragmentation grenade: A grenade designed to kill through blast and shrapnel effects. Usually on a 4-5 second time delay fuse.
Frag out[]
Warning call given when throwing a grenade.
FTG[]
Follow-Through-Grenade: A munition that blows a hole in a wall and then projects and explodes an additional charge on the far side, causing additional casualties.
FUBAR[]
Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition/Repair/Reason: Military slang describing a less-than-ideal situation for friendly forces.
G[]
Go, go, go[]
Passengers of a helicopter disembark at this command from their element leader or the aircraft crew.
Can also be used when mounting up into a helicopter during an extraction. In that situation, the senior element leader confirms that his troops are loaded and accounted for, then says "Go, go, go!" to indicate to the pilot that they should take off.
Finally, it can be used to signal the start of a paradropping sequence from a helicopter of an airplane.
Greenback[]
- Main article: AAF
Derogatory moniker used by Task Force Aegis peacekeepers to describe personnel from the Altis Armed Forces. The term stems from their usage of the Digital Green camouflage pattern on the AAF's uniforms and equipment.
Plurally spelt as Greenbacks.
Grenade[]
Warning call given when an enemy grenade has been thrown at friendlies, a grenade is fumbled or anything else that poses a close-in grenade threat.
Guns, guns, guns[]
Brevity code used by NATO pilots to signal cannon fire. Historically called Fox Four.
H[]
HAHO[]
High Altitude, High Opening: A paradrop where the soldier's parachute is deployed at a high altitude allowing for substantial ground to be covered during their descent.
HALO[]
High Altitude, Low Opening: A paradrop where the parachute is deployed at a low altitude to minimise the time spent in the air. Offers limited room to manoeuvre in the descent.
HE[]
High-Explosive: Explosives that wound or kill via blast and fragmentation effects. Strong against infantry, unarmoured vehicles and aircraft, but redundant against tanks and other armoured vehicles.
HEAA[]
High-Explosive Anti-Armour: Munitions ideal for defeating medium and heavy armour. Deals very little area damage but a great deal of anti-armour damage.
HEAB[]
High-Explosive Air Burst: Munitions that explode in the air rather than upon contact with a surface or target. Their fuses can either be timed or proximity-based. Effective against infantry behind cover and other forms of defilade.
HEAT[]
High-Explosive Anti-Tank: A type of munition that combines a shaped charge explosive with a metal liner inside the warhead to form a high-velocity superplastic jet. Effective against light/medium armoured ground vehicles and low-flying aircraft.
HEDP[]
High-Explosive Dual Purpose: Munitions effective against light armour, walls, structures, bunkers, etc. Does a significant amount of area damage and a fair amount of anti-armour damage, though with less effectiveness against tanks and heavy armour.
HEF[]
High-Explosive Fragmentation: A type of explosive munition/ordnance that is specifically designed to scatter lethal shrapnel fragments once its explosive filler is detonated.
Hold[]
Used to control movement. "Hold" is ordered when a unit needs to make a temporary halt.
HUD[]
Heads up display: A display of flight, navigation, attack, or other information superimposed upon the pilot's forward field of view.
I[]
IED[]
Improvised Explosive Device: A homemade bomb constructed and deployed by insurgent forces. Often concealed by rubbish and/or fauna to mask their appearance and fool less-observant soldiers.
IFV[]
- Main article: Category:Infantry fighting vehicles
Infantry Fighting Vehicle: A type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and unlike an armoured personnel carrier, also provide fire support.
Incoming[]
Warning calls given when enemy indirect fire munitions (grenades, artillery, etc.) are inbound on friendly positions.
J[]
JTAC[]
Joint Terminal Attack Controller: A soldier who directs close air support with a laser designator to guide laser-guided bombs, cruise missiles, air-to-surface missiles and artillery shells to their targets.
K[]
Kill[]
Military slang used to describe different levels of damage inflicted onto vehicles:
- Catastrophic kill (K-kill) - Vehicle has suffered critical damage and is irreparable.
- Firepower kill - Target's weapons systems have been disabled but can still move.
- Mission kill - Target has not been destroyed but is rendered combat ineffective.
- Mobility kill (M-kill) - Target's movement has been disabled but can still engage targets with its weapons systems.
L[]
LSV[]
Light Strike Vehicle: Unarmoured fast attack vehicles designed for hit-and-run raids, scouting missions, special operations support and low-intensity guerilla warfare.
LSW[]
- Main article: Category:Light support weapon
Light Support Weapon: A type of weapon issued to infantry squads/sections/teams as a man-portable source of fully automatic firepower. They are lighter than medium machine guns, tend to load the same cartridge as assault rifles used within the squad, and can feed from either box magazines, drums, stacked magazines or linked belts.
LUV[]
Light Utility Vehicle: Unarmoured cars used as troop transports or cargo carriers.
M[]
"Mass"[]
A generic unit of weight used to define the mass of weapons, ammunition, wearable apparel and items. It does not have a specific real-world equivalent with regards to measuring weight and does not account for object dimension.
MBT[]
Main Battle Tank: A tracked vehicle that fills the heavy direct fire and manoeuvre role of modern armies.
Mount up[]
Command given to order soldiers to board their assigned vehicles. "Remount" is sometimes given after soldiers have temporarily dismounted, such as for providing security after the vehicles come to a stop.
MOUT[]
Military Operations in Urban Terrain: Also referred to as urban warfare, it is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities.
MMG[]
- Main article: Category:Machineguns
Medium Machine Gun: A belt-fed machine gun that is usually chambered to fire cartridges ranging from 7.62 mm up to (but not exclusively) 12.7 mm, and is light enough to be man-portable as opposed to crew-served, mounted heavy machine guns.
MRAP[]
- Main article: Category:MRAP
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected: A category of vehicles that are designed specifically to withstand improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and ambushes.
MSR[]
Main Supply Route: A highway for providing the logistical needs of a large-scale military force.
N[]
NATO reporting name[]
System of codenames used by the NATO alliance to denote weapon systems, ground vehicles, aircraft, and naval vessels used predominately by REDFOR factions (i.e. Russian military, CSAT, etc.).
Note that only designations that are explicitly mentioned in the Armaverse are listed here (parenthesis denote games in which the reporting name was first mentioned):
- AT-3 Sagger: Designation for the 9M14 Malyutka anti-tank guided missile (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
- AT-4 Spigot: Designation for the 9K111 Fagot anti-tank launcher (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
- AT-5 Spandrel: Designation for the 9M113 Konkurs anti-tank guided missile (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
- AT-6 Spiral: Designation for the 9K114 Shturm anti-tank guided missile (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
- AT-13 Saxhorn-2: Designation for the 9K115 Metis-M anti-tank guided missile launcher (ArmA 2)
- AT-19 Sweeper: Designation for the 9M135 Vorona anti-tank guided missile launcher (ArmA 3)
- Colt: Designation for the An-2 transport plane (ArmA 2)
- Frogfoot: Designation for the Su-25 ground attack jet (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
- Fullback: Designation for the Su-34 fighter-bomber jet (ArmA: Armed Assault)
- Hind: Designation for the Mi-24 heavy attack helicopter (ArmA 2)
- Hip-H: Designation for the Mi-17 transport helicopter (ArmA: Armed Assault)
- Hokum: Designation for the KA-50 heavy attack helicopter (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
- Hokum B: Designation for the Ka-52 heavy attack helicopter (ArmA 2)
- Hornet: Designation for the Mi-48 Kajman heavy attack helicopter (ArmA 3)
- SA-7 Grail: Designation for the 9K32 Strela-2 surface-to-air missile launcher (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
- SA-18 Grouse: Designation for the 9K38 Igla surface-to-air missile launcher (ArmA 2)
- SA-19 Grison: Designation for the 2S6M Tunguska tracked anti-aircraft vehicle (ArmA 2)
NE[]
Novel Explosive: Munitions which use a thermobaric-type warhead to cause extreme blast and pressure damage around their point of destruction. Highly effective against infantry and structures.
No joy[]
Allied vehicle crewman or fire support units cannot spot hostile targets.
O[]
On me[]
Command by the element leader to order element members to form up on their position and follow along.
OPFOR[]
OPposing FORce: Name for hostile forces in ArmA: Armed Assault, ArmA 2, and ArmA 3. Serves as a generic term to describe REDFOR (RED FORce) factions but can also be used by REDFOR to denote opposing BLUFOR factions.
Oscar mike[]
On the Move: Callout to inform receivers that the sender is repositioning or moving out.
P[]
Protective symbols[]
Symbols such as the Red Crystal, Red Cross and Red Crescent are protected symbols used to signify medical personnel, medical transports, as well as hospitals and first aid posts. Firing upon these positions or buildings is considered a war crime.
Q[]
QRF[]
Quick Reaction Force: Reinforcements kept on standby to rapidly provide assistance at several different locations if any of them fall under attack.
R[]
REDFOR[]
- Main article: Category:REDFOR
RED FORce: Serves as a generic term to describe Eastern military forces and Eastern-aligned factions.
RHA[]
Rolled Homogeneous Armour: Unit of measurement used for determining the thickness of protective armour plating on ground vehicles. Can also be used to measure the penetration capability of kinetic projectiles and dedicated armour-piercing munitions.
ROE[]
Rules of Engagement: The guidelines leaders issue to govern the employment of their troops' personal weapons.
Roger[]
Affirmative statement preceding a transmission to acknowledge that the receiver is complying with said order.
S[]
SACLOS[]
Semi-Automatic Command to Line Of Sight: A type of missile guidance that makes use of either wire-, radio-, or laser beam-riding for operation. Unlike fire-and-forget weapons, SACLOS typically requires the user to maintain aim on the target at all times.
Say again[]
The prior message was not understood by receiver and are requesting the sender to repeat their transmission.
SEAD[]
Suppression of Enemy Air Defences: Air operations aimed weakening or nullifying enemy air defences which include (but are not exclusive to) both mobile and static surface-to-air missiles/anti-aircraft artillery. Suppression can be attained by utilising air-to-ground anti-radiation missiles to destroy enemy assets from beyond their engagement range; typically by detecting them from afar through their electronic emissions.
SITREP[]
SITuation REPort: A concise and quick method for an entire element to report their status to their leader.
Slag[]
- Main article: Sahrani Liberation Army
Derogatory moniker used by United States Army and Royal Army Corps of Sahrani personnel to describe forces from the Sahrani Liberation Army.
Plurally written as Slags.
Slat[]
NOTE: Slat is commonly misattributed in capitals but it is always written in lowercase (Slat is not an acronym).
A type of addon armour that offers enhanced protection against rocket-propelled grenades and other forms of light anti-tank ordnance. It takes the form of a rigid slatted metal grid cages/bars fitted around key sections of the vehicle. Upon contact with a munition, the cages disrupt the warhead's shaped charge by prematurely detonating it away from the vehicle's hull.
Small arms[]
Man-portable, individual and crew-served weapon systems used mainly against personnel and lightly armoured or unarmoured equipment.
Stand by[]
This acts as either a wait request or a preparatory command. When used as a preparatory command, it is a warning to anyone listening that an important event is about to happen, typically one which others will need to participate in.
When used as a wait request, it is a way to tell the person asking a question that they need a few moments to get the answer.
STOL[]
Short Take Off and Landing: A type of aircraft capable of taking off or landing on non-full length runways or rugged surfaces. STOL aircraft designs can range from either turboprops to jet-powered aircraft.
T[]
Tally[]
Vehicle crewman or friendly fire support have spotted hostile targets.
U[]
UAV[]
- Main article: Category:UAV
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Aircraft without a human pilot aboard (either controlled via remote control by a human operator or onboard computers). Also known as drones.
UBSG[]
UnderBarrel ShotGun: Shotgun weapons reconfigured as an underbarrel weapon attachment, usually mounted onto the handguard of assault rifles.
UCAV[]
- Main article: Category:UCAV
Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle: Unmanned aerial vehicles that usually carry aircraft ordnance such as missiles or bombs. Also known as combat drones.
UGL[]
- Main article: Category:Underbarrel grenade launchers
Underbarrel Grenade Launcher: Single-shot/multi-shot underbarrel grenade launcher-type weapon attachments, fitted beneath the handguard of most rifles.
UGV[]
- Main article: Category:UGV
Unmanned Ground Vehicle: Land-based counterpart to unmanned aerial vehicles that operate without an onboard human driver (either remotely operated or fully autonomous). Also known as drones.
UGCV[]
- Main article: Category:UGCV
Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle: Unmanned ground vehicles that are armed with guns and other heavy weapons. Also known as combat drones.
UXO[]
- Main article: Landmines#UXO
UneXploded Ordnance: The undetonated and/or leftover fragments of munitions which either failed to detonate or are deliberately spread to create an improvised anti-personnel minefield.
Most forms of heavy ordnance ranging from gun-based artillery shells to surface-to-surface missiles or airdropped cluster bombs, have a small chance of randomly distributing pieces of UXO upon detonation. UXO is pressure-sensitive and will trigger upon contact with ground vehicles or being stepped upon by humans. UXO pieces can be disarmed and will also appear on both handheld and vehicular-based mine detectors/sensors.
V[]
Visual[]
Crewman or allied fire support confirm that they have visual on friendly positions.
ViVT[]
- Main article: Category:ViVT
Vehicle-In-Vehicle Transportation: Ground vehicles, boats and/or or aircraft (fixed- or rotary-wing) capable of storing vehicles internally and transporting them over great distances without the need to sling or tow externally.
Vehicles, boats and aircraft with this capability are usually dedicated variations of their parent model with passenger transportation capabilities removed. However some ground vehicles/boats/aircraft integrate ViVT alongside troop transport capabilities, eschewing the need for a standalone variant.
VTOL[]
- Main article: Category:VTOL
Vertical Take Off and Landing: A type of aircraft capable of taking off or landing without the need for a runway.
It should be noted that within the bounds of ArmA's gameplay, the term refers exclusively to VTOL-capable fixed-wing aircraft. However, it is not exclusive to fixed-wing aircraft and technically applies to rotary-wing helicopters as well.
W[]
Weapon dry[]
Used to indicate that the soldier's weapon is temporarily out of action due to running out of ammo in the current magazine.
Wilco[]
WILl COmply: Typically used in conjunction with roger, so that it ends up as "Roger, wilco" which translates into "Understood, and I will comply with the order".
Winchester[]
Brevity term used by aircraft pilots/gunners alert receivers that they are out of ordnance.
WP[]
White Phosphorous: A type of munition that can be used for smoke concealment, marking or to cause incendiary effects. Also commonly nicknamed as "Willy Pete".
Phonetic alphabet (BLUFOR)[]
ICAO radiotelephone spelling alphabet commonly used by Western militaries and major non-NATO allies:
| Letter | Code word |
|---|---|
| A | Alfa (alternately Alpha) |
| B | Bravo |
| C | Charlie |
| D | Delta |
| E | Echo |
| F | Foxtrot |
| G | Golf |
| H | Hotel |
| I | India |
| J | Juliet |
| K | Kilo |
| L | Lima |
| M | Mike |
| N | November |
| O | Oscar |
| P | Papa |
| Q | Quebec |
| R | Romeo |
| S | Sierra |
| T | Tango |
| U | Uniform |
| V | Victor |
| W | Whiskey |
| X | X-ray |
| Y | Yankee |
| Z | Zulu |
Usage example: Alpha Victor (AV), referring to an armed vehicle for radio protocol callouts.
Phonetic alphabet (REDFOR)[]
The Russian spelling alphabet is primarily employed by the armed forces of CIS nations. It is roughly equivalent to its phonetic NATO counterpart:
| Letter | Code word |
|---|---|
| A | Anna (alternately Anton) |
| Б | Boris |
| В | Vasily |
| Г | Gregory (alternately Galina) |
| Д | Dimitri |
| Е/Ё | Yelena (alternately Yolka) |
| Ж | Gene (alternately Beetle) |
| З | Zinaida (alternately Zoya) |
| И | Ivan |
| Й | Short Ivan (alternately Yot) |
| К | Konstantin |
| Л | Leonid |
| М | Mikhail (alternately Mariya) |
| Н | Nikolai |
| О | Olga |
| П | Pavel |
| Р | Roman (alternately Radio) |
| С | Simon (alternately Sergei) |
| Т | Tatyana (alternately Tamara) |
| У | Ulyana |
| Ф | Fyodor |
| Х | Kariton |
| Ц | Hero (alternately Center) |
| Ч | Human |
| Ш | Shura |
| Щ | Pike |
| Ъ | Hard Sign |
| Ы | Yery (alternately Greek I) |
| Ь | Soft Sign (alternately Sign) |
| Э | Echo (alternately Emma) |
| Ю | Yuri |
| Я | Yakov |
Note that codewords are romanised versions of their pronunciations in Russian. Where possible, the word's actual definition is used in lieu of the pronunciation.