Night. An aircraft navigation pod. Laser/master arm switch Arming device which activates weapons controls on an aircraft. leading edge The foremost edge of an airfoil or propeller blade. lift The force that counters the weight of the aircraft and enables it to fly; it is produced by the wings and fuselage and acts perpendicular to the relative wind. low observable technology Methods used to suppress an aircraft's acoustic, electronic, or infrared signature, thereby making it difficult to detect except at close range. Radar cross-section, for example, is reduced by absorbing the radar energy striking the craft and/or re-radiating it in another frequency or redirecting it so that it does not return to the hostile radar receiver. LSO Landing Signal Officer, responsible for all aircraft recoveries on an aircraft carrier. The LSO judges the quality of each approach, and guides and critiques pilot landings. Mach Unit of speed measurement equal to the speed of