Unmanned aircraft system; use unmanned aircraft when referring to just the aircraft. UA acceptable on second ref. Used interchangeably with RPA. (See RPA)

air-to-ground missile

air intercept (or air-to-air) missile

As a rule of thumb, the initial letter or letters in an aircraft designation indicate the primary mission. A — attack, as in AH-1W. B — bomber, as in B-1, B-2, B -52. C — cargo, as in CH-46, CH-53, C-5. These aircraft are likely to be relatively large and may be used to transport troops. E — reconnaissance and surveillance. F — fighter, as in [..]

Spell out full name of squadron on first reference. On second reference, use abbreviation and hyphenate. Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-97 deployed aboard USS Carl Vinson. During their deployment, VFA-97 maintained a perfect safety record.

An assault rifle capable of firing in semi-automatic and automatic using a selector switch. Originally manufactured in the former Soviet Union, the rifle is now made in several countries. There are many U.S. manufacturers who produce a weapon that is similar in looks to an AK-47, but they are not the same, since they can only be fired in semi-autom [..]

ABM is acceptable on second reference.

A lightweight semi-automatic weapon made by Colt, and available to the civilian market. There are many variations of this rifle including the Bushmaster .223. While they may look like the military's M16, these are not assault rifles. AR stands for Armalite, the original company that designed the weapon. It does not stand for assault rifle. The [..]

Governs the military equivalent of a grand jury under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Use Article 32 investigation or Article 32 hearing on first reference, hearing or investigation thereafter.

Associated Press has change its style: to a rifle that is capable of being fired in fully automatic and semi-automatic modes, at the user’s option. Designed for, and used by, military forces. Also used by some law enforcement agencies. The form: an M16 assault rifle, an AK-47 assault rifle. Updated: Nov. 22, 2010