Drones have changed many industries, military operations, and fun activities worldwide. It is important to know the words used with drones as they become more popular. Drone terminology like UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), GPS (Global Positioning System), and BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) can be confusing for newbies and experts. This glossary explains drone language so you can understand the key terms.
Drone Terminology Glossary
Many people wonder about the full form of drone, but it is important to note that drone is not an acronym but rather a standalone word. There are plenty of abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms used in the drone industry that can leave newcomers scratching their heads. Beginning with abbreviations starting from A:
| AAIB | Air Accidents Investigation Board |
| AGL | Above ground level |
| AGM | Air-to-surface missile |
| AI | Artificial intelligence |
| AIAA | American Institute of Aeronautics and Aerospace |
| AIP | Aeronautical Information Publication |
| AIS | Automated Identification System for Collision Avoidance |
| AOA | Angle of Attack |
| AR | Aspect ratio |
| ARM | Anti-Radiation Munitions |
| ARS | Airborne Remote Sensing |
| AS | Airborne Sensing Systems |
| ASW | Anti-submarine warfare |
| ATC | Air Traffic Control |
| ATM | Air Traffic Management |
| ATS | Air Traffic Service |
| Avionics | Aviation electronics in manned or unmanned aircraft |
| AUV | Autonomous Underwater Vehicle |
Drone acronyms, abbreviations starting from B:
| BLOS | Beyond Line of Sight |
| BNUC-S | National Unmanned Aircraft Certificate (Euro UAS NQE) |
| BAMS | Broad Area Maritime Surveillance |
| BER | Bit Error Rate |
| BVR | Beyond Visual Range |
| BVLOS | Beyond Visual Line of Sight |
Drone abbreviations, acronyms starting from C:
| CAA | Civil Aviation Authority |
| CAP | Civil Aviation Publication |
| CAS | Close Air Support / Common situational awareness |
| C2 | Command and control |
| C3I | Command, control, communications and Intelligence |
| C4 | Command, control, communications and computers |
| C4ISR | Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance |
| CA | Collision Avoidance |
| CAT | Collision Avoidance Threshold |
| CDL | Common data link |
| CIED | Computer improvised explosive device |
| CIR | Color Infrared |
| CM | Countermeasure |
| CNI | Critical National Infrastructure |
| CNO | Chief Naval Operations |
| COA | Certificate of Waiver or Authorization |
| COMINT | Communications intelligence |
| CONOPS | Concepts of Operations |
| COS | Continued Operational Safety |
| COTS | Commercial off-the-shelf |
| CPA | Closest Point of Approach |
| CPL | Commercial pilot’s license |
| CR | Conflict Resolution / Close range |
| CS | Control station |
| CT | Counter Terrorism / Counter Terrorism Mission |
| CW | Cyber Warfare |
Drone glossary of starting from D:
| DARPA | Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency |
| DC | Direct Current |
| DCA | Directed Energy |
| DE | DEF CON is the world’s longest running and largest underground hacking conference |
| DEF | Directed Energy Weapons |
| DEW | Directed Energy Weapons |
| DF | Direction finding |
| DHS | Department of Homeland Security |
| DIME | Diplomatic, Information, Military and Economic |
| DIRCM | Directed Infrared Countermeasures |
| DIY | Do-it-yourself (amateur built drones or modified racing drones) |
| DJI | Popular Chinese drone manufacturer |
| DOD | Department of Defense |
| DOS | Denial of Service cyber attack |
| DSS | Decision Support System |
| DSSS | Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum |
| DTED | Digital Terrain Elevation Data |
Let us start with some key abbreviations beginning with E:
| EA | Electronic Attack |
| EAS | Equivalent Airspeed |
| ECM | Electronic Countermeasures |
| ECR | Electronic Combat Reconnaissance |
| ED | Estimated Date of Completion |
| ELINT | Electronic Intelligence |
| ELT | Emergency Locator Transmitter |
| EMC | Electromagnetic Compatibility |
| EMP | Electromagnetic Pulse |
| EO | Electro-Optical (sensing)/ Earth Observation |
| ESM | Electronic Support Measures / Electronic Warfare Support |
| EU | European Union |
| EVTOL | Electric Vertical Take-off and landing |
Now dive into some essential abbreviations starting with F:
| FAA | Federal Aviation Administration |
| FACE | Future Airborne Capability Environment |
| FAR | False Alarm Rates |
| FBL | Fly-by-Light |
| FBW | Fly-by-Wire |
| FCC | Federal Communications Commission |
| FCS | Flight Control Systems / Flight Control Station |
| FDF | Frequency Domain Filtering |
| FDM | Frequency Division Multiplexing |
| FHSS | Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum |
| FIR | Far Infrared |
| FL | Flight Level |
| FUR | Forward-Looking Infrared |
| FMS | Flexible Manufacturing System |
| FoV | Field of View |
| FRAGO | Fragmentary Order |
| FPV | First Person View |
Moving on, let us explore the drone terminology starting from G related to drone:
| GAO | General Accounting Office USA |
| GCHQ | Government Communications Headquarters (Britain) |
| GCS | Ground Control Station |
| GDPR | General Data Protection Regulation |
| GDT | Ground Data Terminal |
| GEO | Geostationary Earth Orbit Satellite |
| GeoFence | Geographic Fence (virtual perimeter for geographic areas) |
| GLOW | Gross Lift-Off Weight |
| GNSS | Global Navigation Satellite System |
| GLONASS | Global Navigation Satellite System (Russia) |
| GPS | Global Positioning System |
| GPWS | Ground Proximity Warning System |
| GSM | Global System for Mobile Communications |
The abbreviations starting from H includes:
| HAE | High Altitude Endurance |
| HALE | High Altitude Long Endurance |
| HAPS | High Altitude Platforms |
| HAPS UAVs | High Altitude Platforms UAVs |
| HEAT | High-Explosive Anti-Tank Warhead |
| HILWS | High Energy Laser Weapon System |
| HITL | Human-in-the-Loop |
| HMI | Human Machine Interface |
| HPA | High Power Amplifier |
| HPL | High Powered Laser Weapon |
| HPM | High Powered Microwave Defense |
| HUD | Heads-Up Display |
| HUMINT | Human Intelligence |
| HVT | High Value Target |
Glossary of drone terms starting from I are:
| IR | Infrared Sensors |
| IOSD | Intelligent On Screen Display |
Exploring some common abbreviations starting from L are:
| LOS | Line-of-sight |
| LIDAR | Light Detection and Ranging |
| LEO | Low Earth Orbit |
| LPA | Log periodic array |
| LPI | Low Probability of Intercept |
| LR | Long range |
| LRF | Laser rangefinder |
| LRA | Long range artillery |
Many drone enthusiasts may find themselves puzzled by the myriad of abbreviations in the industry, especially when it comes to terms starting with ‘M.’ One common curiosity is MLU full form in aviation:
| MAD | Magnetic anomaly detection |
| MALE | Medium-altitude, long endurance UAS |
| MAME | Medium altitude, medium endurance |
| MAMS | Mobile Aircraft Monitoring System |
| MAV | Micro-air vehicle |
| MCE | Mission control element |
| MCM | Mine countermeasures |
| MCU | Master Control Unit |
| MEO | Medium Earth Orbit satellite |
| MFD | Multi Function Display |
| MGTOW | Maximum gross takeoff weight |
| MHT | Multiple-hypotheses-testing |
| MIM | Man in the Middle cyber attack |
| MIT | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| MLRS | Multi Launch Rocket System |
| MLU | Mid-life upgrade |
| MMI | Man-machine interface |
| MPA | Maritime patrol aircraft |
| MPI | Message-passing interface |
| MPO | Mission payload operator |
| MR | Medium range |
| MRE | Medium-range endurance |
| MS | Mobile service |
| MTOW | Maximum takeoff weight |
| MTS | Multi Spectral Targeting System |
| MUAV | Mini-UAV |
| MUM-T | Manned-unmanned teaming |
| MWIR | Midwave Infrared |
Moving on key abbreviations starting from N:
| NAA | National Aviation Authority |
| NAC | Network Access Control |
| NACA | National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics |
| NAS | National Airspace (USA) |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
| NCO | Network-centric operations |
| NCW | Network Centric Warfare |
| NIR | Near Infrared |
| NILOS | Non-line-of-sight |
| NM | Nautical Miles |
| NMAC | Near Midair Collision |
| NOTAM | Notice to Airmen |
| NQE | National Qualified Entity |
| NSA | National Security Agency (US) |
| NTIA | National Telecommunications and Information Administration |
| NTSB | National Transportation Safety Board |
Drone glossary starting from O includes:
| OEM | Original Equipment Manufacturer |
| OLOS | Out-of-the-line-of-sight |
| OODA | Observe, Orient, Decide, Act |
| OPSEC | Operations Security |
| OSI | Open Systems Interconnection |
| OTH | Over-the-horizon |
The Drone abbreviations starting from P:
| PIC | Pilot in Command |
| PfCO | Permission for Commercial Operations |
| PFAW | Permission for Aerial Work |
| PPE | Personal Protective Equipment |
| PGB | Precision Guided Bomb |
| PGM | Precision Guided Missile |
| PHOTINT | Photographic Intelligence |
| PI | Probability of Incapacitation |
| PII | Personally Identifiable Information |
| PL | Power Level |
| PLA | People’s Liberation Army (China) |
| PLAN | People’s Liberation Army Navy (China) |
| PMIAA | Permissions Management: Identification, Authentication and Authorization |
| POS | Position and Orientation System |
| POV | Point of View |
| PPP | Precise Point Positioning |
| PPS | Precise Positioning Service (GPS) |
| PSYWAR | Psychological Warfare |
| PWO | Principal Warfare Officer |
| P(Y) | Precise Signal (GPS) |
Drone related terms having starting alphabet R includes:
| RPAS | Remotely Piloted Aircraft System |
| RPQ | Remote Pilot Qualification |
| RA | Resolution Advisory |
| RADAR | Radio Detection and Ranging |
| RCS | Radar Cross-Section |
| RCO | Remote-control Operator |
| RPH | Remotely Piloted Helicopter |
| RPA | Remotely Piloted Aircraft |
| RPV | Remotely Piloted Vehicle |
| RRE | Radar Range Equation |
| RSTA | Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition |
| RTK | Real Time Kinematic |
| RTS | Remote Tracking Station |
| RWR | Radar Warning Receiver |
| RTF | Ready to fly |
S Glossary includes:
| SRG | Safety Regulation Group |
| SUA | Small Unmanned Aircraft |
| SUAS | Small Unmanned Aircraft System |
| SA | Situational Awareness |
| SAA | Sense and Avoid |
| SAASM | Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module |
| SAR | Synthetic Aperture Radar |
| SATCOM | Satellite Communications |
| SCADA | Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition |
| SIGINT | Signals Intelligence |
| SLAMRAAM | Surface Launched AMRAAM |
| SME | Subject Matter Expert |
| SR | Short Range |
| SST | Self-Separation Threshold |
| STOL | Short Take-Off and Landing |
| sUAS | Small Unmanned Aircraft System |
| SWAP | Size, Weight, and Power |
| SWIR | Shortwave Infrared |
Explore some common abbreviations starting from T are:
| TA | Traffic Advisory |
| TAC | Target Air Controller |
| TACAN | Tactical Air Navigation |
| TAS | True Airspeed |
| TBO | Time Between Overhauls |
| TC | Type Certificate |
| TCAS | Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System |
| TCPA | Time to Closest Point of Approach |
| TIR | Thermal Infrared |
| TL | TL: Team Leader |
| TO | Take-off |
| TRL | Technology Readiness Level |
| TUAV | Tactical UAV |
| TETRA | Terrestrial Trunked Radio |
Many people find themselves stuck between on trying to decipher the UAV full form in the army:
| UAV | Unmanned Aerial Vehicle |
| UAS | Unmanned Aircraft System |
| UAE | United Arab Emirates |
| UAM | Urban Air Mobility (vehicle) |
| UASIPP | UAS Integration Pilot Program |
| UAS-p | UAS Pilot |
| UAV-p | UAV Pilot |
| UCAV | Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle |
| UGC | Unmanned Ground Control Station |
| UGV | Unmanned Ground Vehicle |
| UHF | Ultra High Frequency |
| U.N. | United Nations |
| UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| UTM | Unmanned Traffic Management |
| UUV | Unmanned Underwater Vehicle |
Moving on to the next set of drone abbreviations:
| VMC | Visual Meteorological Conditions |
| VNIR | Visible and Near Infrared |
| VTOL | Vertical Take-Off and Landing |
| VTAU | Vertical Take-Off UAV |
| VLOS | Visual Line of Sight |
Wrapping Up
Understanding drone terminology is important for beginners and experienced operators. A glossary of abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms can help navigate the world of drones. Knowing these terms helps communicate with others and follow regulations. Pilots can fly drones safely and responsibly by using this knowledge. Study and use the glossary to improve your drone flying experience and stay informed on industry standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Significance of NQE Drone Training?
Drone NQE training ensures that pilots are properly trained and certified to operate drones safely and legally.
What is the Difference Between UAV and UAS?
UAV stands for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, which refers to the aircraft itself. UAS stands for Unmanned Aerial System, which includes both the aircraft and its associated components like ground control stations.
What does VLOS mean when Discussing Drone Operations?
VLOS stands for Visual Line of Sight, indicating that operators must keep the drone within their direct line of sight during operation to ensure safe navigation and compliance with regulations.
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