Glossary term
ADACV (ADAC/ADAV (déconseillé - deprecated) aéronef à décollage et atterrissage courts ou verticaux)
TERM SUMMARY
ADACV is the preferred NATO French abbreviation for aéronef à décollage et atterrissage courts ou verticaux, in English a vertical or short take-off and landing aircraft.
- Why it matters
- ADACV stands for aéronef à décollage et atterrissage courts ou verticaux . In English, NATO gives the equivalent as vertical or short take-off and landing aircraft .
- Category
- Canadian government procurement terminology
- Reference role
- This term page is designed to be linkable, crawlable, and easy to quote or summarize.
ADACV stands for aéronef à décollage et atterrissage courts ou verticaux. In English, NATO gives the equivalent as vertical or short take-off and landing aircraft. It is the preferred French abbreviation in the NATO glossary of acronyms and abbreviations, published in AAP-15 (2013).
The older form ADAC/ADAV is marked as deprecated (déconseillé). The entry is associated with AAP-06, NATO's Glossary of Terms and Definitions. Bid teams reading French-language defence or aviation documents may see either form, and the preferred one is ADACV.
How ADACV breaks down into ADAC and ADAV
The abbreviation combines two older components, and the NATO glossary defines both.
- ADAC is aéronef à décollage et atterrissage courts, a short take-off and landing aircraft.
- ADAV is aéronef à décollage et atterrissage verticaux, a vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
ADACV joins the two ideas with the word ou (or). It covers aircraft that take off and land over a short distance as well as those that do so vertically.
NATO's preferred and deprecated forms
The NATO entry sets out which forms to use in each language:
- Preferred French abbreviation: ADACV.
- Deprecated French abbreviation: ADAC/ADAV.
- English admitted term: vertical or short take-off and landing aircraft.
- English deprecated abbreviation: V/STOL aircraft.
The same glossary lists STOVL aircraft as a separate admitted term for short-take-off-and-vertical-landing aircraft. It is a distinct entry and not a synonym for ADACV. Source: NATO AAP-15 (2013).
How Canadian aviation sources use ADAC and ADAV
Transport Canada uses the component abbreviations in its own French-language aviation material. The Transport Canada Aeronautical Information Manual (2026-1) lists ADAC as aéronef à décollage et atterrissage courts. Transport Canada Circular CI 100-001 defines ADAV as aéronef à décollage et atterrissage verticaux. It describes such an aircraft as capable of vertical climbs and descents and of using very short runways or small areas for take-off and landing, and it includes helicopters. Transport Canada also carries ADAC and ADAV in its abbreviations for flight crew examinations.
Federal defence-industry material has used the same vocabulary. A historical Government of Canada defence-industry publication uses ADAC for specialized short-take-off-and-landing aircraft and identifies the DHC-7 as one. The civil usage and the NATO usage share the same building blocks, but the NATO entry is the one that sets ADACV as the preferred combined form.
What ADACV means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts
Treat ADACV as a technical aircraft-classification term. The abbreviation does not by itself create a mandatory certification or a contractual deliverable. If it appears in a solicitation, read the technical specifications, the statement of work, the data requirements and any referenced NATO or defence standards to see what compliance evidence the buyer wants.
Bid teams working from French-language documents should recognize ADAC, ADAV, ADAC/ADAV and ADACV as related forms. In English-language responses, the NATO-admitted wording is vertical or short take-off and landing aircraft. Use the term the solicitation uses, and where it is ambiguous, confirm the aircraft category through the buyer's question period.