Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Naval Vessels, Warship Systems and Naval Architecture glossary (page 2)

Warship systems and naval architecture vocabulary: vertical launch systems, arresting gear, mission areas (AAW, ASW, ABM), and the weapon, sensor, and combat-system designations that define a surface combatant. Grounds each term in the platform and capability it belongs to, from carrier aviation systems to fleet air defense.

430 defined terms.

Showing 180 on this page (page 2 of 2).

M

MFR: Multi-Function Radar, generic Western term.
MICA-VL: MBDA vertical launch surface-to-air missile.
Midway class: USN large carriers of 1945, modernized through 1992.
MILAS: MBDA shipborne stand-off ASW missile with MU-90 payload.
Minehunter Coastal: MHC hull symbol for coastal minehunter.
Minesweeper Ocean: MSO hull symbol for oceangoing minesweeper.
Mistral class: French Navy LHD amphibious assault ship.
Mk 41 VLS: USN vertical launch system with strike, tactical, and self-defense cell lengths.
Mk 45: USN 5 inch/54 and 5 inch/62 lightweight naval gun.
Mk 46 torpedo: USN lightweight ASW torpedo, Mod 5 SW for shallow water.
Mk 48 ADCAP: USN heavyweight submarine torpedo, current Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System.
Mk 54 LWT: USN lightweight torpedo replacing Mk 46.
Mk 57 PVLS: Peripheral Vertical Launching System on Zumwalt class.
Mk 62 quickstrike: USN aircraft-laid bottom mine based on 500 lb bomb body.
Mogami class: JMSDF 30FFM stealth multi-mission frigate.
Monitor: Shallow-draft warship with disproportionately heavy guns, e.g., USS Monitor 1862.
Multi-mission helicopter: Embarked rotary aircraft for ASW, ASuW, and utility roles.

N

Nansen class: Royal Norwegian Navy frigate with Aegis and SPY-1F.
Naval Group: French naval prime contractor, formerly DCNS.
Navantia: Spanish state shipbuilder, prime on F-100 and Juan Carlos I.
Nelson class: Royal Navy WWII battleship with 16 inch main battery forward of bridge.
NH90 NFH: NATO Frigate Helicopter variant for ASW/ASuW.
Nimitz class: USN CVN-68 nuclear aircraft carrier, ten ships from 1975 to 2009.
NSM: Naval Strike Missile, Kongsberg subsonic stealth ASCM.
NSSMS: NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System, Mk 57 launcher predecessor.
Nulka: Australian active off-board RF decoy launched from Mk 36 SRBOC.

O

Oberon class: Royal Navy diesel-electric submarine of 1960s-70s.
Octuple launcher: Mk 16 ASROC launcher with eight cells.
Ohio class: USN SSBN-726 Trident submarine, 14 boomers and 4 SSGNs.
Oliver Hazard Perry class: USN FFG-7 frigate, retired from USN in 2015.
OPV: Offshore Patrol Vessel, lightly armed constabulary ship.
Oscar class: Soviet Project 949A SSGN with 24 P-700 Granit missiles.
Otobreda 76 mm Super Rapid: Italian 76 mm naval gun with 120 rpm rate.

P

P-700 Granit: Soviet long-range SSM on Kirov and Oscar.
P-800 Oniks: Russian ramjet supersonic ASM, also exported as Yakhont.
PAAMS: Principal Anti-Air Missile System on Horizon and Type 45.
Pauk class: Soviet/Russian Project 1241P ASW corvette.
Pearl Harbor 1941: Surprise attack on USN Pacific Fleet by IJN carriers.
Periscope: Submarine optronic mast or optical scope for surface observation.
Phalanx CIWS: 20 mm gun-based close-in weapon system.
PLAN: People's Liberation Army Navy.
Pre-dreadnought: Late 19th century battleship with mixed-caliber main battery.
Pressurized water reactor: Naval reactor type used on USN CVN and SSN/SSBN.
Project 22350: Russian Admiral Gorshkov class frigate.
Project 636.3: Improved Kilo class submarine.
Project 949A: Oscar II SSGN class.
Project 955A: Borei II class SSBN.
Project 971: Akula SSN.

Q

Q-Ship: Historic decoy armed merchantman; archaic but cited in doctrine.
Quad packing: Loading four ESSM in one Mk 41 cell.
Queen Elizabeth class (UK): Royal Navy STOVL aircraft carrier with twin islands, lead ship R08.
Queen Elizabeth class (WWI): Royal Navy fast battleship of 1915.

R

R-29RMU Sineva: Russian Liquid-propellant SLBM on Delta IV.
Rafael: Israeli weapons firm, naval products include Typhoon mount and Barak family.
RBU-6000: Soviet 213 mm 12-tube anti-submarine rocket launcher.
Reactor compartment: Shielded compartment housing naval reactor.
Replenishment at sea: UNREP/RAS technique for transferring fuel and stores.
Replenishment oiler: AOR hull symbol.
RIM-156: SM-2 Block IV with Mk 72 booster.
RIM-161: SM-3 ABM interceptor.
RIM-162 ESSM: Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile.
RIM-174 ERAM: SM-6 long-range air defense and anti-ship missile.
RIM-66: Standard Missile family designation, SM-1 and SM-2 base.
RIM-67: Long-range SM-2ER variant.
River class: Royal Navy OPV, Batches 1 and 2.
Rolls-Royce MT30: Marine gas turbine on Queen Elizabeth, Constellation, and LCS-1.
Royal Australian Navy: Naval service of Australia, RAN.
Royal Canadian Navy: Naval service of Canada, RCN.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: RFA, civilian-manned RN logistics fleet.

S

S-300F Fort: Naval long-range SAM on Slava class.
S1850M: BAE-Thales long-range air search radar derived from SMART-L for RN and FREMM.
Sachsen class: German F124 air-defense frigate.
SAMPSON: BAE multi-function spinning AESA radar on Type 45.
San Antonio class: USN LPD-17 amphibious transport dock.
SCB: Ship Characteristics Board, USN postwar design committee.
Sea Ceptor: MBDA CAMM short-range SAM on Type 23 and Type 26.
Sea Dart: Royal Navy GWS-30 area air defense missile.
Sea Giraffe: Saab medium-range AESA naval radar.
Sea King HAS: Westland ASW helicopter on RN ASW carriers, retired 2018.
Sea Sparrow: RIM-7 short-range SAM.
Sea Wolf: BAe GWS-25/26 short-range SAM, retired 2017.
Sea-RAM: Raytheon Rolling Airframe Missile combined with Phalanx mount.
Sejong the Great class: ROK Navy KDX-III Aegis destroyer.
Severodvinsk class: Russian Project 885 Yasen SSGN, lead boat K-560.
Sheffield class: Royal Navy Type 42 destroyer.
Ship of the line: Wooden warship of the Age of Sail capable of fighting in line of battle.
Shock testing: Full-ship live underwater explosion test for combatants.
Ski-jump: Upturned bow ramp aiding STOVL or STOBAR launch.
SLBM: Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile.
SLCM: Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile.
Sloop-of-war: Single-deck warship rated below frigate.
SM-1: RIM-66A/B medium-range SAM, retired from USN.
SM-2: RIM-66C/D and RIM-67 long-range SAM with semi-active homing.
SM-3: RIM-161 exoatmospheric BMD interceptor.
SM-6: RIM-174 ERAM dual-role air defense and anti-ship missile.
SMART-L: Thales long-range air search radar, modern MM variant with BMD mode.
Sonobuoy: Air-dropped expendable sonar, A-size or smaller.
Soryu class: JMSDF AIP submarine, Stirling powered.
Sound-isolated mount: Decoupled machinery mount to reduce radiated noise.
Spearfish: BAE Mod 1 heavyweight torpedo on RN SSN.
Spruance class: USN destroyer of 1970s-90s, eight ships converted to Tomahawk shooters.
SS: Conventional submarine hull symbol.
SSBN: Ballistic missile nuclear submarine hull symbol.
SSGN: Guided missile nuclear submarine hull symbol.
SSK: Air-independent or hunter-killer conventional submarine, sometimes used for AIP.
SSN: Attack nuclear submarine hull symbol.
STOBAR: Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery carrier configuration.
STOVL: Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing.
Strike Group: USN tactical formation centered on CVN, ARG, or SAG.
Subharpoon: UGM-84 encapsulated submarine-launched Harpoon variant.
Submarine tender: AS hull symbol auxiliary supporting SSN/SSBN.
Suffren class: French Barracuda SSN, lead boat S 635.
Super-dreadnought: Battleship with 13.5 inch or larger main battery, post-1910.
Supercarrier: Informal term for very large fleet carriers above 65,000 t.

T

T-AKE: Auxiliary, dry cargo and ammunition, USN MSC.
Talos: USN RIM-8 long-range SAM, retired 1979.
Tarawa class: USN LHA amphibious assault ship, retired 2015.
Tartar: USN RIM-24 medium-range SAM family, succeeded by SM-1.
Ticonderoga class: USN CG-47 Aegis cruiser, twenty-seven built.
Tomahawk Block IV: Tactical TLAM with two-way data link and loitering capability.
Tomahawk Block V: Recent upgrade with MST anti-ship and JMEWS warhead options.
Tomahawk TLAM: BGM-109 Land Attack Missile.
Towed-Array Sonar: Passive sonar streamed astern of ship/submarine.
Trident II D5: UGM-133 USN/RN SLBM with up to 12 W76/W88 warheads.
Triomphant class: French Navy SSBN with M51 SLBM.
Tsushima 1905: Naval battle won by Admiral Togo's IJN against Russian Baltic Fleet.
Turbo-electric drive: Steam turbines driving generators that power electric propulsion motors.
Type 075: PLAN landing helicopter dock, lead ship Hainan.
Type 094 Jin: PLAN SSBN carrying JL-2/JL-3.
Type 096 Tang: Next-generation PLAN SSBN under construction.
Type 209: HDW export diesel-electric submarine, widely sold.
Type 212A: TKMS AIP submarine with PEM fuel cell.
Type 214: Export AIP submarine derived from Type 212.
Type 23 Duke class: Royal Navy ASW frigate with Sea Wolf and later Sea Ceptor.
Type 26 City class: Royal Navy global combat ship, also for RAN and RCN.
Type 31 Inspiration class: Royal Navy general-purpose frigate.
Type 346 radar: PLAN AESA on Type 052C/D and Type 055.
Type 45 Daring class: Royal Navy air-defense destroyer.
Type 65: Soviet 650 mm long-range wake-homing torpedo.

U

U-Boat: Imperial and Nazi German submarine, central to the Battle of the Atlantic.
UCAV: Unmanned combat aerial vehicle, e.g., MQ-25 Stingray tanker on USN CVN.
Udaloy class: Soviet/Russian Project 1155 ASW destroyer.
UDT: Underwater Demolition Team, USN naval special warfare predecessor of SEAL.
Ula class: Royal Norwegian Navy diesel-electric submarine.
Underwater telephone: AN/WQC-2 acoustic comms for submarines.
Undocking: Removal of ship from dry dock after completion of work.
UNREP: Underway Replenishment.
Upholder/Victoria class: Royal Navy SSK transferred to Royal Canadian Navy.
UVP: Russian Universal Vertical Launcher, used on Admiral Gorshkov class.

V

Valiant class: Royal Navy SSN of 1960s.
Vanguard class: Royal Navy SSBN with Trident II D5.
Variable Depth Sonar: Body-towed sonar that can be positioned in different acoustic layers.
Vasco da Gama class: Portuguese Navy MEKO 200 frigate.
VDS: Variable Depth Sonar.
Vertical launch system: Below-deck cell array allowing missiles to launch upward.
Victor III class: Soviet Project 671RTMK SSN.
Vikramaditya: Indian Navy STOBAR carrier.
Vikrant: Indian Navy indigenous aircraft carrier.
Virginia class: USN SSN-774 nuclear attack submarine, Blocks I through V in service or construction.
Visby class: Swedish Navy stealth corvette with carbon-fiber composite hull.
VLS: Vertical Launching System.
VPM: Virginia Payload Module, four 87 inch tubes added on Block V boats.

W

Walrus class: Royal Netherlands Navy diesel-electric submarine.
Wasp class: USN LHD-1 amphibious assault ship.
Watertight integrity: Standard ABC zebra closure conditions for combat readiness.
Well deck: Internal docking well for landing craft.
Whidbey Island class: USN LSD-41 dock landing ship.
Wood-and-fiberglass hull: Construction common to MCM vessels for low magnetic signature.

X

X-band radar: 9.4 GHz band marine radar.
X-rudder: Cruciform stern control surface in X orientation, used on Soryu and Type 212.
Xia class: PLAN Type 092 first-generation SSBN.

Y

Yasen class: Russian Project 885 SSGN.
Yasen-M: Improved Project 885M variant, lead boat Kazan.
YJ-12: PLAN supersonic anti-ship cruise missile.
YJ-18: PLAN subsonic-supersonic anti-ship/land-attack cruise missile.
YJ-83: PLAN turbojet anti-ship missile derived from C-802.
Yuan class: PLAN Type 039A AIP submarine with Stirling engine.

Z

Z-9C: PLAN ASW helicopter derivative of AS 365 Dauphin.
Zumwalt class: USN DDG-1000 tumblehome multi-mission destroyer with two AGS 155 mm guns and Mk 57 PVLS.
Zwaardvis class: Royal Netherlands Navy diesel-electric submarine, exported to ROC Navy as Hai Lung.