Explanatory Notes

摘要

Abbreviations are used throughout to save space and avoid repetition. The abbreviations may be both singular or plural; for example, 'elm' means 'element' or 'elements'. The qualification 'some' means up to, while 'about' means the total could be higher than given. In financial data, '$' refers to US dollars unless otherwise stated; billion (bn) signifies 1,000 million (m). Footnotes particular to a country entry or table are indicated by letters, while those that apply throughout the book are marked by symbols (~* for training aircraft counted by the IISS as combat-capable, and ? where serviceability of equipment is in doubt). A list of abbreviations for the data sections appears in the reference section (page 487).