M113 –
Informally called GAVIN, the M113 is a lightly armored, fully tracked vehicle that carries troops and materiel.

M18A1 –
See Claymore.

M19 –
Independent Revolutionary Workers Movement (M19) is another in a long line of Colombian rebel movements roaming about the countryside with lots and lots of narco-dollar procured guns.

M249 –
U.S. Army and Marine Corps’ light machine gun or squad automatic weapon. It is belt fed and uses the same 5.56mm that works in the M-16.

M61A1 –
The Vulcan cannon is a six-barrel 20mm gun capable of firing 6,600 rounds per minute. Its operation is based upon the principle used in the rapid-firing gun invented by Richard J. Gatling in the 1860s. The six rotating barrels, firing one at a time, permit a high rate of fire while at the same time reducing the problem of barrel wear and heat generation. This weapon has been installed in a variety of military aircraft.

M82A1A –
The Marine Corps .50 BMG sniper rifle. This beauty can file a 750-grain slug 1800 meters (or more than a mile) with a muzzle velocity of 2800 feet per second. Ordinance can be conventional ball, armor piercing, incendiary (now we’re talking), or explosive. Barrett Firearms Manufacturing produces a civilian model as well. No, I haven’t had the opportunity to fire one of these yet, but I’m open to offers.

MAK-90 –
Chinese reproduction of the AK-47.

Makarov –
Soviet copy of the Walter PP. The Russians started manufacturing these in the early 1950s. It was the standard side arm for most Soviet and Warsaw pact troops. It is listed as a 9mm, but this is a 9x18mm round versus the more familiar 9x19mm round familiar to American shooters. One of my shooting buddies loves his gun.

Matrix Works –
I changed the name of the real company that produced the PROMIS software to Matrix Works. I then created a fictional relationship between Matrix Works and the NSA. However, there is documentation suggesting a company like Matrix Works operated as a quasi-covert entity and supplied PROMIS worldwide at the direction of the American intelligence community. If you want to know more, read Firewall.

Maverick –
The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-surface tactical missile designed for close air support, interdiction, and defense suppression. It is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation, and fuel storage facilities. The AGM-65 has two types of warheads, one with a contact fuse in the nose, the other a heavyweight warhead with a delayed fuse, which penetrates the target with its kinetic energy before firing. The latter is very effective against large, hard targets.

Speed: Classified (open sources: 1150 kph)

Range: 17+ miles

Warhead: 300 pounds

MBTA –
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Medellin –
See Cali.

Metsada –
See The Guys.

MH-53J –
see Pave Low III.

Mi-24 –
The Hind (Mi-24) is a combination transport/gunship helicopter. It serves to ferry troops, arm-to-ground, air-to-air combat and escort missions. The Hind saw extensive service in Afghanistan. NATE designation: HIND.

MI6 -
Military Intelligence, Department 6, Secret Intelligence Service The tradition of this service goes back to Henry VIII. The modern layout stands since 1911 made by he chairman M. Cummings. His initial ('M') had become the cipher for all the following charimen, whose names are top secret.

MiG-21 –
The Fishbed (MiG-21) is a nimble, simple fighter that was turned out in high numbers. Estimates range between 10,000 and 13,000 copies were produced by the Soviet Union. It was a front line fighter from 1959 to 1989. The MiG-21 does not have any fancy electronics or bomb load capabilities. It is probably the last pure dog-fighter aircraft ever produced. NATO designation: FISHBED.

Maximum Speed: 1,300 mph

Range: 450 miles (average)

Crew: 1

Armament:

30mm cannon

4 x AA-2 ATOLL

4 x AA-8 APHID

MiG-23 –
The Flogger (MiG-23) is a point-defense, swept wing fighter (similar to the F-14) with powerful radar, and an infrared search and track system. The MiG-27 is basically a fighter-bomber version of the MiG-23. This was a very successful Soviet aircraft. NATO Designation: FLOGGER.

Range: 1,181 miles

Speed: 2.35 Mach

Crew: 1

Armament:

23mm cannon

AA-7 APEX

AA-8 APHID

AA-10 ALAMO

AA-11 ARCHER

MiG-25 -
Realizing the threat posed by the American Mach 3-capable XB-70 Valkyrie strategic bomber, the Soviet Union urgently set about development of a new interceptor. The Valkyrie never progressed beyond the prototype stage, but the Soviet interceptor project went ahead regardless (probably those pesky five year plans). The Foxbat is an interesting plane. It is best described as a strategic interceptor. While it can approach speeds close to Mach 3, it doesn’t turn very quickly. NATO designation: FOXBAT

Range: 1,050 miles subsonic

Speed: 2.5+ Mach

Crew: 1

Armament:

2 x AA-6 ACRID

2 x AA-7 APEX

Ministry of State Security –
PRC equivalent of the CIA. The Second Bureau (Foreign Bureau) is tasked with covert operations against belligerent powers. This is the bureau that handles the agents Goldenrod and Mongoose.

Mirage 2000-5 –
French made interceptor and battlefield interdiction aircraft. This a delta wing, low-altitude terrain following, all-weather capable aircraft. Its primary mission is the delivery of munitions for battlefield interdiction.

Maximum speed: 2.2 Mach

Range: unlimited

Crew: 2

Armament:

Various missile and bomb loads including:

Exocet

Dumb bombs

Air-to-air missiles

MK81 –
The MK 80 series are low drag general-purpose munitions, or to put it another way dumb bombs that you drop on bad guys. Many of these have been refitted with JDAM (see definition) to improve precision.

MOSSAD -
[Hebrew for “institute”] (MOSSAD) has responsibility for human intelligence collection, covert action, and counterterrorism. Its focus is on Arab nations and organizations throughout the world. MOSSAD also is responsible for the clandestine movement of Jewish refugees out of Syria, Iran, and Ethiopia. MOSSAD agents are active in the former communist countries, in the West, and at the UN.

Mossberg 590 –
The Mossberg 500 series was designed specifically for police and military applications. Some people called them reloadable Claymores. These are black, nasty looking weapons that get the job done. The one I own has a seven round magazine, fires 3 inch and 2 ¾ inch shells, and has luminous ghost ring sights. It also happens to be Jim Harper’s preferred weapon.

Mount Weather –
National leadership protection bunker located 45 miles west of Washington D.C. near Bluemont, Virginia. This 85-acre site is a cavernous warren of improved bunkers designed to ride out a WMD attack (maybe this is Dick Cheney’s undisclosed location). Mount Weather and the Greenbriar were both closed down under the Clinton administration; because it was determined they were too provocative in the post-Cold War era. Interestingly, the Russians continued to improve a vastly larger facility several hundred miles east of Moscow.

MSS –
See Ministry of State Security.

Mujahideen –
Translates to “Soldiers of God.” These are Islamic fighters that have shown up around the world.

Mukhabarat -
The Iraqi Intelligence Service - IIS [also known as the Department of General Intelligence] is the most notorious and possibly the most important arm of the state security system. The Mukhabarat has a staff of about 4,000. Although there is a surprisingly detailed literature on the internal organization of the Mukhabarat, these sources diverge as to the precise nomenclature and subordination of these entities.

MVD -
Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del (Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs) it is one of the successor agencies of the NKVD. In terms of managing 250 million by means of terror and intimidation it lost out to the more powerful and sinister KGB.

Douglas De Bono / DouglasDeBono.Com Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota E-Mail readermail@DouglasDeBono.Com