forward air controller
noun
: a military officer who directs from a forward position on the ground or in the air the action of combat aircraft engaged in close air support of land forces
Examples of forward air controller in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Greater support and leeway for the opposition would no doubt ease these problems, as would the presence of more U.S. Special Forces personnel, including forward air controllers, inside Syrian borders.
—
Eliot A. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
Harry served five months as a forward air controller and Apache helicopter pilot.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2023
The prince served two tours in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2012 for a total of 30 weeks, first as a forward air controller and later as an Apache helicopter pilot.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2022
Wald, 74, spent 35 years in the Air Force, including as deputy commander of U.S. forces in Europe and as a forward air controller and F-16 pilot who flew in combat in Vietnam and Bosnia.
—Craig Whitlock and Nate Jones, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Oct. 2022
Her grandson Prince William served in the Royal Air Force search and rescue, and Prince Harry served in the British Army as a forward air controller and WAH-64 Apache attack helicopter pilot.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 9 Sep. 2022
Prince Harry had a good relationship with the Royal Marines, having fought alongside them in Afghanistan in 2006 and served there twice—first as a forward air controller and then as an Apache pilot.
—Ingrid Seward, Town & Country, 20 Oct. 2020
Beginning late in 2018, hundreds of Wagner contractors flew into Libya -- engineers, snipers, forward air controllers.
—Tim Lister, Sam Kiley and Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 9 June 2020
Smith, who did not attend the event, was a platoon leader and forward air controller in the Marine Corps in Vietnam and was awarded Silver and Bronze stars and two Purple Hearts.
—NBC News, 4 Dec. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Eliot A. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
Harry served five months as a forward air controller and Apache helicopter pilot.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2023
The prince served two tours in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2012 for a total of 30 weeks, first as a forward air controller and later as an Apache helicopter pilot.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2022
Wald, 74, spent 35 years in the Air Force, including as deputy commander of U.S. forces in Europe and as a forward air controller and F-16 pilot who flew in combat in Vietnam and Bosnia.
—Craig Whitlock and Nate Jones, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Oct. 2022
Her grandson Prince William served in the Royal Air Force search and rescue, and Prince Harry served in the British Army as a forward air controller and WAH-64 Apache attack helicopter pilot.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 9 Sep. 2022
Prince Harry had a good relationship with the Royal Marines, having fought alongside them in Afghanistan in 2006 and served there twice—first as a forward air controller and then as an Apache pilot.
—Ingrid Seward, Town & Country, 20 Oct. 2020
Beginning late in 2018, hundreds of Wagner contractors flew into Libya -- engineers, snipers, forward air controllers.
—Tim Lister, Sam Kiley and Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 9 June 2020
Smith, who did not attend the event, was a platoon leader and forward air controller in the Marine Corps in Vietnam and was awarded Silver and Bronze stars and two Purple Hearts.
—NBC News, 4 Dec. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Forward air controller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forward%20air%20controller. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share