FMS
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Foreign Military Sales |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Military, Transportation & Travel |
FMS has two meanings. It stands for Foreign Military Sales (military term) or Flight management system (aviation).
Meanings of FMS at a glance
| # | FMS stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foreign Military Sales | Military › Military Term |
| 2 | Flight management system | Transportation & Travel › Aviation |
1. Foreign Military Sales
Military · Military Term Abbreviations
US government program for selling defense equipment, services and training to allied and partner nations, in which the US government contracts on behalf of the buyer.
Example: Poland bought the tanks through FMS, with deliveries starting next year.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency manages FMS under the Arms Export Control Act, and Congress is notified of major sales. Direct commercial sales, in which companies sell directly under export licenses, are the alternative path.
2. Flight management system
Transportation & Travel · Aviation Abbreviations
Onboard computer system that automates navigation, performance calculations and fuel predictions and can fly a programmed route laterally and vertically through the autopilot. Pilots enter the route and data through a keypad display called the CDU or MCDU.
Example: Before pushback, the first officer loaded the route, winds and takeoff speeds into the FMS.
The computer itself is often called the FMC (flight management computer), and airliners carry two or three for redundancy. Its navigation database is updated every 28 days on the international AIRAC cycle. Data-entry mistakes, such as a wrong takeoff weight, have caused tail strikes and runway overruns.
Related abbreviations
More military term abbreviations
- ETS – Expiration term of service
- EW – Electronic warfare
- FITREP – Fitness report
- FLOT – Forward line of own troops
- FNG – F***ing new guy
- FO – Flag officer
- FOB – Forward operating base
- FOUO – For Official Use Only
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