Trip Reports: Abbreviations
First published in 2002. Reformatted 2025. These trip reports started as informal correspondence to a few history-minded friends. We had common interests in WWII and Cold War military aviation, so I could use abbreviations freely knowing they would be understood. That was in the late 1990s, and 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 may not have 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 AFP Air Force Plant AFS Air Force Station ANG Air National Guard ArNG Army National Guard ATC Air Training Command BOMARC Boeing/Michigan Aeronautical Research Center BX Base Exchange DAF Department of the Air Force DPC Defense Plant Corporation ESS Electronic Scoring System F-I Fighter-Interceptor FIS Fighter-Interceptor Squadron GAT Ground to Air Transmitter GATR Ground to Air Transmitter/Receiver GF Gap Filler GSA General Services Administration GWEN Ground Wave Emergency Network 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 MM Middle Marker MUTES Multiple Threat Emitter Simulator 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 TAC Tactical Air Command TDY Temporary Duty 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 Administration Updated March 29, 2025If you like what you find here, please consider making a monetary contribution. Domain name registration, web hosting, and travel cost plenty. You won't find any ads here to annoy you.