Fox (code word)

Uncommon card · No. 104298

Fox is a brevity code used by NATO pilots introduced in the late 1960s and early 1970s to signal the simulated or actual release of an air-to-air munition or other combat function. Army aviation elements may use a different nomenclature, as the nature of helicopter-fired weapons is almost always air-to-surface. "Fox" is short for "foxtrot", the NATO phonetic designation for the letter "F", which is short for "fire". A fighter pilot announcing that a weapon has been fired is intended to help avoid friendly fire, alerting other pilots to avoid maneuvering into the path of the munition. There are three variations of the Fox brevity word in use, with a number added to the end of Fox to describe the primary type of sensors the launched munition possesses (if applicable). This includes autocannons and collisions. Fox one Indicates launch of a semi-active radar homing missile (such as the AIM-7 Sparrow). Fox two Indicates launch of an infrared homing missile (such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder). Fox...

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