Fulcrum: NATO reporting name for the MiG-29 jet fighter.
GAU: Russian acronym for Main Artillery Directorate. The command element of the Soviet artillery force, now called the GRAU (Main Missile and Artillery Directorate).
GCI: Ground-controlled intercept; a system of directing fighter airplanes using ground-based radars and command centers.
Gepard: A West German armored antiaircraft vehicle consisting of twin, radar-directed 35mm automatic cannon on a Leopard 1 tank chassis.
GITB: Guards Independent Tank Battalion.
Gorbach: Russian for "hunchback," also nickname for Mi-24 helicopter.
Grad: Soviet name for the BM-21 122mm multiple rocket launchers; the Russian word for "hail." The basic BM-21 is a 40-tube rocket launcher on a Ural 375 truck. The BM-21V is an air-portable version on a GAZ66B truck.
Great Patriotic War: Soviet term for the war between the Soviet Union and Germany, 1941-45; used to distinguish the Soviet fighting from the rest of World War H.
GRU: Russian acronym for Main Intelligence Command, the Soviet military intelligence service, comparable to the American DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency).
GSFG: Group of Soviet Forces, Germany. The Soviet term for their forces in East Germany.
GSP: Russian acronym for mechanized tracked ferry. Consists of a pair of tracked, amphibious vehicles with special pontoons, which can be joined together to form a self-propelled ferry to carry tanks or other heavy equipment across rivers.
GTR: Guards Tank Regiment.
Guards: Russian honorific added to unit designation, such as 11th Guards Tank Division. The Guards title was awarded to units during World War II and the Afghanistan War for exemplary service and has been retained by many units since then.
HEAT: High explosive antitank. Acronym for explosive warheads used to penetrate tank armor. The high explosive is shaped over a metal cone, leading to other names for this type of warhead such as "shaped charge" or "hollow charge."
Hind: NATO reporting name for the Soviet Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter.
Hip: NATO reporting name for the Soviet Mil Mi-8/Mi-17 transport helicopter.
Hokum: NATO reporting name for the Soviet Kamov attack helicopter.
Hoplite: NATO reporting name for the Warsaw Pact Mi-2 utility helicopter.
HOT: A Franco-German heavy antitank missile similar in performance to the American BGM-71 TOW. The HOT is usually carried by special antitank helicopters or special tank-hunting vehicles. It uses a wireguidance system.
Hot Brick: Nickname for a type of electronic countermeasures system fitted to aircraft or helicopters which is used to prevent infrared guided missiles from homing in on the thermal emissions of the aircraft.
HUD: Heads up display. An advanced optical sight system fitted to new fighter aircraft which displays flight and targeting data on a small, transparent optical panel in front of the pilot.
IAHR: Independent Attack Helicopter Regiment.
ICM: Improved conventional munition. An artillery round containing several dozen small grenades (submunitions) that are scattered over a target rather than the traditional high-explosive filler. This type of round has been in service with the U.S. Army since the early 1970s with projectiles like the 155mm M483.
IFF: Identification friend or foe. An electronic interrogation system used to distinguish hostile aircraft from friendly aircraft through use of a coded electronic signal.
IFV: Infantry fighting vehicle. An armored vehicle used to transport infantry that also allows the infantry to fight from inside the vehicle, like the U.S. Army M2 Bradley.
Igla: Soviet codename for a man-portable antiaircraft missile called SA16 by NATO. Russian word means "needle."
INF: Intermediate nuclear forces; usually referring to nuclear delivery systems covered under the 1987 INF treaty.
IRM: Russian acronym for engineer reconnaissance vehicle, an armored vehicle, based on the BMP chassis, that is used by combat engineers to scout for suitable river crossings. It is fully amphibious or can be submerged to drive across river bottoms to test for their suitability for underwater tank crossings.
Kalashnikov: Name of the designer of the Soviet AK-47 and AK-74 assault rifles, Mikhail T. Kalashnikov. Sometimes used as a generic name for Soviet assault rifles.
Katyusha: Russian nickname for multiple rocket launchers. The name stems from a Russian song about "little Katy" that was popular in 1941 when this type of weapon was introduced.
KGB: Russian acronym for Committee for State Security, the Soviet security organization that combines the functions of the American FBI and CIA.
KHAD: Afghan acronym for Afghan secret police.
Khrom Nikeclass="underline" Soviet codename for the IFF system called Odd Rods by NATO; in Russian it means "chrome nickel."
Komsomoclass="underline" Russian acronym for a Communist party youth organization for teenagers too young to join the party.
Konkurs: Soviet codename for a heavy antitank missile called AT-5 Spandrel by NATO; Russian word for "contest."
Korshun: Soviet codename for the BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle; in Russian it means "kite."
LuAZ-967: A small jeep-like amphibious vehicle used by the Soviets mainly as a light ambulance or airmobile transporter.
LZ: Landing zone.
Malyutka: Soviet codename for 9M113 antitank missile known also by its US/NATO designation, AT-3 Sagger; in Russian it means "little one."
Marder: West German infantry fighting vehicle, comparable to U.S. M2 Bradley or Soviet BMP. Armed with a 20mm automatic cannon, and sometimes with a Milan antitank missile.
Maskirovka: Russian term meaning deception or concealment.
Milan: A NATO medium antitank missile manufactured by France, Germany, and Britain; comparable to the Soviet AT-4 Spigot or American Dragon. The system can be carried by two soldiers and consists of a firing post and missile launch tube.
MLRS: Multiple launch rocket system M270. The American equivalent of the Soviet BM-22 Uragan artillery rocket system, also used by other NATO armies.
MRR: Motor Rifle Regiment; Soviet term for mechanized infantry regiment.
MTK: Soviet acronym for mine clearing system. This consists of a tracked, armored vehicle with a rocket launcher on the top. The rocket pulls an explosive line charge behind it when it is fired over a minefield, breaching the minefield by explosives.
Mujihadeen: Afghan insurgents, usually called dushmani by the Russians.
NCO: Non-commissioned officer; in most armies, a sergeant.
NKVD: Russian acronym for Peoples Commissariat of the Interior, forerunner of the KGB. Nyemtsi: Russian word for Germans; also means "dumb" in Russian, as in "unable to speak."
OGPU: Russian acronym for Units of the State Political Directorate, forerunner of the NKVD/KGB.
OMG: Operational Maneuver Group.
Panzerfaust: Generic term for German antitank rockets; literally means "armored fist." Panzergrenadier: German term for mechanized infantry.
Pechora: Soviet codename for S-125 air defense missile called SA-3 Goa in NATO; named after river in northern Russia.
PGM: Precision-guided munition.
PKM: Soviet 7.62mm squad light machine gun; armored vehicle version called PKT.
PKT: Soviet 7.62mm armored vehicle light machine gun; infantry version called PKM.
Plamya: Soviet codename for AGS-17 30mm grenade launcher; in Russian it means "flame."
PMP: Russian acronym for pontoon bridge assembly, a type of portable engineer bridge called a "Ribbon Bridge" in the U.S. Army.
Praporshchik: Soviet rank corresponding to warrant officer.
PRP-3: Soviet acronym for mobile reconnaissance post, an artillery scout vehicle based on the BMP chassis with a turret-mounted surveillance radar and other sensors. Called Little Fred in NATO.
PTURS: Russian acronym for antitank guided missile.