GIANT KILLER is a military

Air Traffic Control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

(ATC)

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

used within certain regions of the

contiguous United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

(CONUS). The callsign is primarily administered by the United States Navy for military flight operations on the East Coast. The call sign is utilized by military air traffic controllers responsible for flight operations within restricted military airspace or to direct military air craft that is transiting civilian airspace. The call sign is commonly published in NOTAMs that designate restricted airspace reserved for military flight operations or combat exercises where normal airspace operating rules do not apply. Prior to the introduction of the call sign, standardized identification methods for military controllers holding operating authority over a specific section of airspace did not exist. To reduce the confusion and to ensure standardized emergency communication procedures among the various branches of the U.S. military, the call sign GIANT KILLER is used to denote the controlling authority for a section of military airspace dedicated to combat training or combat operations within the U.S. In rare circumstances, call signs like GIANT KILLER may be used during a national emergency when a specific controller has been assigned a section of airspace. This was the case on September 11, 2001 when US Navy personnel utilized the call sign to vector three

F-16s The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...

from

Langley Air Force Base Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News, Virginia, Newport News. It was one of List of airfields of the Training Section of the United States Army Air Service, thirty-two ...

to the

National Capital Region A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...

for air defense purposes. It is possible for a specific controller to utilize more than one call sign, with GIANT KILLER being one of them. For clarity, the name is always written in capital letters with a space between the words.

Origins

The U.S. military commonly uses pairs of words that do not sound phonetically similar as call signs. This reduces the chance for confusion during transmission of critical messages. Most military

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

facilities that use the GIANT KILLER call sign maintain direct communications to weapons capable flight squadrons; the "killer" portion of the call sign may be more than a coincidence.

Safety considerations for general aviation

A significant safety concern for military combat exercise planners is the possibility of a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

aircraft mistakenly entering restricted airspace while an active combat training exercise is underway. Added safety measures are taken when target drones are used during

war games A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...

. During such times, it is not uncommon for the military to release a specific safety NOTAM via the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

. Such NOTAMs usually indicate that any aircraft in the vicinity of restricted airspace should contact GIANT KILLER on a specified frequency if a pilot becomes involved in a situation near the specified coordinates. Certain target drones have a

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

signature that is comparable to many single engine aircraft commonly used within the General Aviation community. Use of a common call sign like GIANT KILLER reduces the time needed to clarify the origin of critical safety messages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giant Killer Call signs Air traffic control in the United States American military aviation