AEROSPACE ACRONYM & Abbreviation Guide

December 2006

Avionics Magazine presents the third edition of our comprehensive Aerospace Acronym Guide. Since we started compiling the list in 2002, the number of acronyms and abbreviations has grown by 660 entries, from 2,306 to 2,966.

Though it is not an exhaustive list, we trust it will serve you well.

• C2 command and control

• C41 computers and intelligence

• CA conflict alert

• CAA Civil Aviation Administration

• CAA Civil Aviation Authority

• CAAC Civil Aviation Administration of China

• CAASD Center for Advanced Aviation System Development

• CAB Civil Aeronautics Board

• C&C command and control (also C2)

• C&W control and warning

• CAAS common avionics architecture system

• CAASD Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (Mitre Corp.)

• CAC caution advisory computer

• C/A code course acquisition code (GPS)

• CACP cabin area control panel

• CAD computer-aided design

• CADAG Communications, Automation and Data Link Applications Group

• CADC central air data computer (an analog system)

• CADS centralized automatic dependent surveillance

• CAE component application engineer

• CAGE commercial avionics GPS engine

• CAH cabin attendant handsets

• C4ISR computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance

• CAI caution annunciator indicator

• CAL China Airlines

• CALSEL variation of SELCAL system

• CAM computer-aided manufacturing

• CAN controller area network

• CANbus control area network

• CANSO Civil Air Navigation Services Organization

• CAOC Combined Air Operations Center

• CAP Civil Air Patrol

• CAPA Coalition of Airline Pilots Association

• CAPS commercial airliner protection system

• CARE cooperative actions on R&D in Eurocontrol

• CAS collision avoidance system

• CAS computed airspeed

• CAS commercially available software

• CASA controller automated spacing aid

• CASE computer-aided software engineering

• CASR Civil Aviation Safety Regulations

• CAT category

• CAT clear air turbulence

• CAT computer aided testing

• CAT categories (I, II, IIIa/b/c) approach

• CBA cost/benefit analysis

• CBT computer-based training

• CC connection confirm

• CCA circuit card assembly

• CCB converter circuit breaker

• CCB configuration control board

• CCD category class diagram

• CCD cursor control device

• CCD charged coupled device

• CCD coherent change detection

• CCIR International Radio Consultative Committee

• CCITT Consultative Committee International Telephone and Telegraph

• CCP consolidated control panel

• CCS cabin communication system

• CCS common core system

• CCTV closed-circuit television

• CD carrier detect

• CD chrominance difference

• CD compact disk

• CDA continuous descent approach arrival

• CDA coordinating design authority

• CDAM centralized data acquisition module

• CDAM common data acquisition module

• CDG configuration database generator

• CDI course deviation indicator

• CDM collaborative decision-making

• CDMS CDM system

• CDMS control and data management system

• CDP continuous data program

• CPDLC controller pilot data link communications

• CDR critical design review

• CDS central dispatch system

• CDS cockpit display systems

• CDS common display system

• CDSS cockpit door surveillance system

• CDT controlled departure time

• CDTI cockpit display of traffic information

• CDU control display unit

• CDV compressed digital video

• CEC cooperative engagement capability

• CEI cabin equipment interfaces

• CEPT Conference Europeene des Postes et Telecommunications

• CF change field

• CFDIU centralized fault display interface unit

• CFDS central fault display system

• CFDU configurable file data unit

• CFIT controlled flight into terrain

• CFM cubic feet per minute

• CFM configuration management

• CFMU central flow management unit

• CFS cabin file server

• CG center of gravity

• CHI computer/human interface

• CHIS center hydraulic isolation system

• CI configuration item

• CI cabin interphone

• CID category interaction diagram

• CIDIN common ICAO data interchange network

• CIDS cabin interphone distribution system

• CIE Commission Internationale de I ’Eclairage

• CIGS copper-indium-gallium-diselenide

• CIP capital investment plan

• CIP convergence & implementation program (Eurocontrol)

• CIS common information services

• CIS corporate information system

• CLNP connectionless network protocol

• CLNS connectionless network service

• CLTP connectionless mode transport protocol

• CM context/configuration management

• CMC central maintenance computer

• CMCF CMC function

• CMCS CMC system

• CMD command

• CMF common message format

• CMGT contract management

• CMM capability maturity model

• CMM component maintenance manual

• CMM common mode monitor

• CMN control motion noise

• CMOS complementary metal oxide semiconductor

• CMP configuration management plan

• CMS cabin management system

• CMU communication management unit

• CND can not duplicate

• CNDB customized navigation database

• CNES Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales

• CNI communications, navigation and identification

• C/NO carrier-to-noise density ratio

• CNP com/nav/pulse

• CNS communication, navigation surveillance

• CNS/ATM communications, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management

• CNSI com/nav/serveillance/identification

• CNUS cabin network server unit

• COA certificate of authorization

• CODEC coder/decoder

• COM cockpit operating manual

• COM communications

• COMINT communications intelligence

• COMINT/DF COMINT direction finding

• COMM communications

• COM/MET/OPS communications/meterological/operations

• CON continuous

• COMSAT Communications Satellite Corp.

• CONOPS concept of operations

• CONUS continental United States

• COP character-oriented protocol

• COTP connection-oriented transport protocol

• COTR contracting officer’s technical representative

• COTS commercial-off-the-shelf

• CP central processor

• CP conflict probe

• CP control panel

• CPA closest point of approach

• CPA Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations

• CPA collision prediction and alerting

• CPC controller-pilot communications

• CPC cabin pressure controller

• CPC cursor position control

• CPCI computer program configuration item

• CPCS cabin pressure control system

• CPDLC controller-pilot data link communications

• CPE circular position error

• CPI continuous process improvement

• CPM core processing module

• CPM critical path method

• CPS cabin pressure sensor

• CPS central processing system

• CPU central processing unit

• C/R command/response

• CR change of request

• CR contrast ratio

• CR connection request

• CRA conflict resolution advisory

• CRAF Civil Reserve Air Fleet

• CRC cyclic redundancy checking/code

• CRD current routing domain

• CRDA cooperative research and development agreement

• CRM crew/cockpit resource management

• CRPA controlled reception pattern antenna

• CRISD computer resources integrated support document

• CRISTAL CoopeRative Validation of Surveillance Techniques and Applications

• CRM collision risk model

• CRM crew resource management

• CRMA code reuse multiple access

• CRR cutover readiness review

• CRS course

• CRT cathode ray tube

• CRZ cruise

• CS common service

• CS commercial service

• CSC common signaling channel

• CSC cargo system controller

• CSC computer software component

• CSCI computer software configuration item

• CSF command/status frame

• CsLEOS real time operating system (OS)

• CSMA carrier sense multiple access

• CSMA/CD carrier sense multiple access with collision detection

• CSCP cabin system control panel

• CSDB commercial standard data bus

• CSDS cargo smoke detector system

• CSEU control systems electronics unit

• CSMM crash survivable memory modules

• CSMU cabin system management unit

• C/SOIT communications/surveillance operational implementation team

• CSPA closely spaced parallel approach

• CSS cabin systems subcommittee

• CSTAC Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (FAA)

• CSU channel service unit

• CSU configuration strapping unit

• CSU computer software unit

• CTA control area

• CTA controlled time of arrival

• CTAF common traffic advisory frequency

• CTAI cowl thermal anti-icing

• CTAS center TRACON automation system

• CTC cabin temperature controller

• CTD cabin training device

• CTL control

• CTMO centralized air traffic flow management organization

• CTOL conventional takeoff and landing

• CTR control zone

• CTR center

• CTRD configuration test requirements document

• CTRL control

• CTS clear to send

• CTS conformance test suite

• CTS/TCTS combat training system/tactical combat training system

• CTU cabin telecommunications unit

• CU combiner unit (HUD)

• CU channel utilization

• CU control unit

• CUG closed user group

• C/UT code/unit test

• CUTE common use terminal equipment

• CV/DFDR cockpit voice and digital flight data recorder

• CVR cockpit voice recorder

• CVRCP cockpit voice recorder control panel

• CW continuous wave

• CW clockwise

• CWI continuous wave interference

• CWP central weather processor

• CWP controller/ed working position

• CWS control wheel steering