Acronym's of Importance

DDP

Drone Dominance Program - US DOW event / competition, iterative $1 billion initiative focused on developing advanced drone technologies and capabilities for military applications.

EUD

End User Device - Tablet with A-TAK, for example

DoW

Department of War (USA)

DoD

Department of Defence (USA)

G1, G2, etc.

Gauntlet 1, 2, etc. These are the phases of competition in DDP

RnD, R&D

Research and Development

DCMA

Defence Contract Management Agency - US DOD component that manages defense contracts, oversees contractor performance, and ensures contracts / supplies fulfilled in time at fair cost

SORA

Specific Operations Risk Assessment - structured, risk-based method created to evaluate safety and get official approval for drone flights that are too complex for basic rules

UAV

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - a drone

FPV

First Person View - Often referred with a drone with camera attached displaying a first person view to pilot

UAS

Unmanned Aerial System - entire system for a UAV, including drone, ground station, equipment… what is needed to ensure safe and proper UAV flight

MANTRAS

Multilayered Aerial Network for Tactical Reconnaissance And Strike - a software-defined ecosystem developed by Renegade UxS. It links various drone platforms, payloads, and communication nodes to operate in contested environments

ESAD

Electronic Safe and Arm Device - for payloads, interact with payload system… keep safe, arm, and detonate at a specific command

EW

Electronic Warfare - military action using the electromagnetic spectrum to control the spectrum, attack an adversary, or ensure friendly access

BoM

Bill of Materials - comprehensive list of raw materials, components, parts, and quantities, plus instructions needed to manufacture, construct, or repair a product

A-TAK

Android Tactical Assault Kit - powerful geospatial mapping, navigation, and real-time situational awareness software suite developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, used in all RUxS platforms

SOF

Special Operations Forces

SOCOM

United States Special Operations Command

RF

Radio Frequency - oscillation rate of radio waves for communication

GNSS

Global Navigation Satellite System - satellite constellation providing global positioning, timing, and navigation

GPS

Global Positioning System - USA GNSS

DCM

Defence Cyber Marvel - UK's flagship multinational cyber defense exercise

ISR

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance - what the Loke platform does, base of many military operations

JSON

JavaScript Object Notation - light, plain-text format used to store and send structured data, featuring name/value pairs, curly braces, and square brackets

EMCON

Emission Control - military strategy involving the selective and controlled use of electromagnetic, acoustic, or other emitters. It is used to prevent enemies from detecting friendly forces, stop interference between friendly systems, and protect operational security

VVIP

Very Very Important Person - top-tier leadership, brass, etc. requiring higher security and precedence

USV

Unmanned Surface Vehicle - boat / ship drone

EO/IR

Electro-Optical / Infrared - sensor technology combining visible light cameras and infrared thermal imaging

NM

Nightmare - RUxS’s FPV UAV

GCS

Ground Control Station - base of UAS for a UAV

ATG

Autonomous Terminal Guidance - autopilot… fast, RF-silent terminal attack drone approach mode that relies on optical/autonomous guidance rather than active remote signals

CUI

Controlled Unclassified Information

RUxS

Renegade UxS

RMSE

Root Mean Square Error - measurement of accuracy across X,Y, and Z… checks accuracy of map, coordinates, etc.

LWIR

Long-Wave Infrared - infrared spectrum between 8-14 micrometers

ATR

Automatic Target Recognition - AI-driven technology used to detect, classify, and track objects in real time… processes video or sensor data onboard UAV to identify specific targets like vehicles or people without manual operator control

VisNav

Visual Navigation - use of cameras and software to navigate without the use of GNSS, navigation in GNSS denied environments

BoC

Bomb on Coordinate - LoWDS platform mission

LoWDS

Loitering Weapons Delivery Systems - suicide / kamikaze drone

CUAS

Counter-Unmanned Aerial System - technologies / procedures designed to detect, track, identify and nullify / neutralize hostile or unauthorized UAV’s

SIGNT

Signals Intelligence - practice of intercepting, processing, and analyzing electrical signals and communications

INS

Intertial Navigation System - self-contained electronic navigation aid using accelerometers, gyroscopes, and computer to constantly monitor and track an object (UAV) position, velocity, and orientation relative to a known starting point

SOP

Standard Operating Procedure - step-by-step instructions to ensure routine and emergency operations play out as needed

DIU

Defense Innovation Unit - agency of the USA DoD that connects the military with commercial tech

Blue UAS

USA DoD initiative that vets and approves secure, NDAA-compliant commercial drones, components, and software… currently Nightmare is Blue UAS approved

C2

Command and Control

CTA

Connect-Them-All - an ethernet switch for the RUxS GCS

LIDAR

Light Detection and Ranging - pulsed laser light to measure distances and create precise, three-dimensional maps and models of objects and environment

SOF

Special Operations Forces

BVLOS

Beyond Visual Line of Site - operation of UAV beyond distance where pilot can see it

FCU

Flight Control Unit - core computer of a UAV… reads movement sensors hundreds of times per second, processes your remote commands, and adjusts the motors instantly to keep the aircraft stable, level, and on the correct flight path

OWA

One Way Attack

VIO

Visual Inertial Odometry - combines optical data from cameras with motion data from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to track position and velocity… allows UAVs, UGVs, and autonomous systems to navigate precisely when GPS is jammed, spoofed, or completely unavailable

UAG

Unmanned Ground Vehicle

FoV

Field of View (think Minecraft)

ELRS

ExpressLRS - open-source high-performance radio control link heavily adapted for tactical FPV UAVs… connects the handheld controller to the drone, transmitting pilot commands and receiving telemetry… extreme long-range capabilities, ultra-low latency, strong resistance to basic EW and signal jamming compared to older proprietary links

RoIP

Radio over Internet Protocol - transmits two-way radio communications over LAN, Wi-Fi, or cellular LTE networks instead of relying strictly on traditional radio frequency towers… what Radio Noir does

LAN

Local Area Networks

F/W or FW

Fixed Wing

ESC

Electronic Speed Controller - separate board underneath FCU, connected to it… regulates the speed, direction, and power of propeller motors by translating throttle signals to electronic pulses

UxS

Unmanned Systems… x stands for being possible for sea, land, and air

AGL

Above Ground Level

ASL

Above Sea Level

MSL

Mean Sea Level