SURYA MALAM: March 2016

Lockheed Martin introduces upgraded MK 41 VLS production line

Representatives of Lockheed Martin and Navy at the ceremonial reopening of the MK 41 Vertical Launching System. Photo: courtesy of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Lockheed Martin has introduced an upgraded MK 41 vertical launching system (VLS) production line at its Middle River, Maryland facility, US.

Under a previously awarded $235.3m firm-fixed-price contract by the US Navy, which extends until 2022, Lockheed designed and developed MK 41 VLS electronic and mechanical modules and related equipment.

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Comparison: Russian Navy Slava-class and US Navy Ticonderoga-class Cruisers in Combat

Analysis by Konstantin Sivkov, Ph.D. (military sciences)
Military expert Konstantin Sivkov, a member of the Russian Academy of Rocket, Missile and Artillery Sciences, Ph.D. (military sciences), has assessed a hypothetical battle between a Russian Navy Project 1164 Atlant-class (NATO reporting name: Slava-class) missile cruiser and a US Navy Ticonderoga-class cruiser. The calculation has been performed for each of the compared ships. It has covered all of the missions considered and possible courses of action, and the calculation of an integral effectiveness index of the ships.

Slava-class
The Project 1164 Atlant-class Moskva missile cruiser has a total displacement of 11,500 tons, a length of 186.5 m, a complement of 510, a full speed of 32 knots and a range of 6,000 nm. The Moskva is currently being modernized and repaired which should extend the life of the ship until the end of the 2020s. Another vessel of the same class, the Marshal Ustinov has just been refitted.

The British Royal Navy has ordered six of the Type 45 "Air Defense Destroyers" for its fleet. Due to its lead ship naming ("HMS Daring (D32)"), the class is also recognized as the Daring-class. The Type 45 group succeeded the older Type 42 which entered service during the Cold War in 1975. The Type 45 ships have been in active service since July of 2009 when HMS Daring was commissioned.

To match the American Navy's Arleigh Burke-class multi-mission, guided missile destroyers, Soviet engineers were asked to develop a modernized solution through the existing Udaloy-class ships of fighting ships in 1982.

Cassidian, an EADS company (now Airbus Defence and Space) presents its TANAN 300 new-generation compact VTOL Tactical UAS (Vertical Take-Off and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial System) for wide range of missions including surveillance, reconnaissance, search-and-rescue (SAR), target acquisition, anti-smuggling, harbour protection, border patrol, anti-piracy, and convoy and VIP protection. It can also be deployed for monitoring image and communications intelligence systems, critical infrastructure and illegal traffic.

The Dassault nEUROn is an experimental Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) being developed with international cooperation, led by the French company Dassault Aviation. Countries involved in this project include France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden & Switzerland. The design goal is to create a stealthy, autonomous UAV that can function in medium to high-threat combat zones. Comparable projects include Boeing's X-45, Northrop Grumman's X-47B, DRDO AURA, and Russia's MiG Skat.

Slower to the UAV game that Western world powers, the Russians are steadily gaining ground in an effort to match potential enemies pound-for-pound. Long-time Russian helicopter maker Kamov has unveiled plans to produce a helicopter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for possible shipboard and land-based use by the Russian military and intelligence services.

The General Atomics Avenger (formerly marked as the "Predator C") is one of the newer UAV systems to come online with the United States military, showcasing some of the very latest in UAV technology. The system was developed from the MQ-9 Reaper series (formerly "Predator B") which itself was designed from the lessons learned in the MQ-1 Predator ("Predator A") and is billed as a true unmanned "combat" air vehicle, defining her role moreso than previous UAV models.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been on a massive scale for the first time deployed in 1982 in the conflict between Israel and Lebanon. Since the Israeli UAVs are experienced unprecedented success, the very same year the aircraft design bureau OKB Sukhoi-51 PO charge of developing the first domestic assault unmanned air vehicle. Said Unmanned Aerial Vehicle cheerfully known as the Korsun, and was primarily used for the destruction of important ground targets with a strong air defense (PVO). Secondary determination of this machine was to become airborne survey.

Sokol / Tranzas Altius-M ( Altair ) reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle,Russia

The reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle for medium-altitude large range type Altius-M is a response from the Kazan consultancies Sokol and St. Petersburg society Tranzas to enter the Ministry of Defense of Russia on a reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle take-off weight up to 5 tons.

Strategic altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicle type medium-range WZ-2000 (also BZK-009) from the workshop GAIC of Guizhou was created as a successor UAV type WZ-5 (unlicensed copies of US-style Ryan AQM-34n Firebee the 60s), which was to PLAAF weapons included a small number already in the late 70s and 80s. A conceptual level, this machine is strikingly similar to the American type RQ-4 Global Hawk .

Tactical unmanned aerial vehicle type Sparrow Hawk II (Air Sniper) from the workshop of Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation (GAIC) from Guizhou can sort the exploration machines for medium height with great endurance (MALE).
Its design shape no doubt inspired by the successful American General Atomics "Predator" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) line, the Chinese Sparrow Hawk II is an in-development air system intended for the surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering role. Its payload consists of optical systems and sensors for the roles at hand while power is served through a single engine driving a three-bladed propeller assembly in a "pusher" configuration.

The Chengdu Pterodactyl I ((Chinese: 翼龙-1; pinyin: Yìlóng-1) also known as the Wing Loong was unveiled by company representatives during the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (Zhuhai) in 2010. The system is intended as a "Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance" (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with provisions being developed to convert the type into an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) form by implementation of various munition options.

The CASIC WJ-600 is a large-scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ("UAV", though more commonly referred to as a "drone") currently under development in China under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation label (CASIC). As it stands, the WJ-600 will be a maritime and overland attack UAV designed as a standalone weapons platform or for operations in conjunction with the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The Altay is a modern main battle tank, designed and developed by Otokar of Turkey for the Turkish Army and export markets. It is named in honor of Army General Fahrettin Altay (1880–1974) who commanded the 5th Cavalry Corps in the final stage of the Turkish War of Independence. It will be Turkey's first indigenous MBT development program since 1943.

The Turkish National Main Battle Tank Project began in 2005. In September 2010 the conceptual design phase of Altay was completed.

The Boeing X-45 served as a proof-of-concept technology demonstrator - developed in conjunction with DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) - for the storied aviation concern in trying to develop a fully-autonomous Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) solution for possible adoption by the United States Air Force (USAF). The advanced aircraft first took to the air on May 22nd, 2002 and this led to a pair of vehicles being completed and used in active testing.

Hyundai Rotem, an affiliate of the Hyundai Motor Group, is developing the K2 Black Panther (Hangul: K2 '흑표'; Hanja: K2 '黒豹') that will replace most of the M48 Patton tanks and complement the K1 series of main battle tanks currently fielded by the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA).

The MBT3000 main battle tank, also known as the VT-4 main battle tank (Chinese: VT-4 主战坦克 ), is a Chinese third generation main battle tank built by Norinco for overseas export. It is an upgraded variant of the MBT2000 (VT-1) and the latest tank model from the Type 90-II tank family. The program is being headed by the large NORINCO (China NORth INdustries COrporation) concern and is the direct successor to the "MBT-2000" - both versions owing their existence to the Soviet "T-72" of the Cold War. The MBT-2000 is currently in service with Pakistan (320 as the "Al-Khalid") and Bangladesh (44).

The M82 is a short recoil semi-automatic firearm. When the gun is fired, the barrel initially recoils for a short distance (about 1 in or 25 mm), while being securely locked by the rotating bolt. After the short travel, a post on the bolt engaged in the curved cam track in the receiver turns the bolt to unlock it from the barrel. As soon as the bolt unlocks, the accelerator arm strikes it back, transferring part of the recoil energy of the barrel to the bolt to achieve reliable cycling. Then the barrel is stopped and the bolt continues back, to extract and eject a spent case.

The Barrett M82 was the first notable American-made .50 caliber Anti-Material Rifle (ATR) when introduced in 1982. The line saw an evolution of sorts develop through the M82A2 which was made into a "bullpup" version (magazine feed aft of the pistol grip/trigger unit) which allowed for easier transport.

The Stealth Recon Scout (SRS) is bolt-action sniper rifle developed by the American firearm manufacturer Desert Tactical Arms. (Now operating under the name Desert Tech) It was unveiled at the 2008 SHOT Show. It's known for it's bullpup design, which makes the rifle just as accurate as other rifles with similar barrel lengths, but staying as compact as an assault rifle or SMG.

The Accuracy International AW50 resides in the same league of heavy battlefield guns that include the well-known American Barrett M82/M107 rifle. These weapon systems are charged with directly engaging armored vehicles, structures or even personnel at distance and delivering a lethal dose of heavy caliber firepower from over a mile away (more in some cases). Despite their large caliber and inherently massive recoil, gunsmiths engineer several key factors into such weapon systems as the AW50 to make them more manageable battlefield instruments.

Like other European nations during the Cold War, the Austrian Army made use of the excellent Belgian FN FAL Battle Rifle firing the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. These weapons were produced locally under license as the "StG 58" (Sturmgewehr 58). The original FN FAL was introduced in 1954 and was ultimately produced in over 2,000,000 examples, seeing action in countless conflicts thereafter with widespread circulation still apparent today. Its design was rather robust and her full-power rifle cartridge was a proven man-stopper.

The Heckler & Koch HK G36 series assault rifle was designed and developed to an exacting German Army requirement of the 1990s intended to replace the outgoing 7.62x51mm HK G3 series battle rifles - the standard German Army service rifle of the time. The 7.62mm cartridge held tremendous man-stopping capabilities and inherently good range but conformance to a NATO standard weapon firing the 5.56x45mm cartridge was in order. Heckler & Koch had given up the 4.7x33mm HK G11 "caseless" system after the collapse of the Soviet Union (funding and interest appropriately dried up).

T-100 Integrated Training System (ITS) is a new two-seat jet trainer for fast-jet training to provide air force pilots with advanced training for fourth and fifth-generation combat aircraft such as F-35 and F-22. The trainer aircraft, along with a ground-based training system (GBTS), is being offered to the US Air Force's (USAF) T-X advanced fighter pilot training programme, which is aimed at replacing the Northrop T-38 Talon; the average age of the T-38 fleet is over 43.5 years.

The Kamov Ka-31 (NATO reporting name 'Helix') is a military helicopter developed by Kamov Joint Stock Company (then, Kamov DB) for the Soviet Navy and currently in service in Russia, China and India in the naval airborne early warning and control role. The main mission of the helicopter is long-range detection of threats, including airborne threats such as fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

The UAC Il-214 Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA) is a medium-airlift military transport aircraft which is being developed by the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) of Russia, and formerly with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) of India. It is being developed through an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and India.

The Ilyushin Il-112 is a Russia's brand new high-wing light military transport aircraft being developed by Ilyushin Aviation Complex (JSC IL) for air landing and airdrop of military air cargoes, equipment and personnel. Derived from the IL-114, the aircraft is being manufactured by Voronezh Aircraft Production Association at an aircraft plant in Voronezh, located some 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Moscow.

The Kawasaki C-2 (previously C-X) is a mid-size, twin-turbofan engine, long range, high speed military transport aircraft being developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). These will eventually replace a fleet of older Kawasaki C-1 and Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules tactical cargo aircraft.

The Embraer KC-390 is a medium-size, twin-engine jet-powered military transport aircraft under development by Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica), one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers, able to perform aerial refuelling and to transport cargo and troops. It is the heaviest aircraft that the company has made to date, and will be able to transport up to 21 t (23 tons) of cargo, including wheeled armoured fighting vehicles.

The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-124 "Руслан") (NATO reporting name: Condor), designed by the Antonov ASTC, based in Kiev, Ukraine, is a strategic airlift jet aircraft. It is manufactured by Aviant State Aviation Plant, Kiev, and Aviastar, Ulyanovsk, Russia. Until the Boeing 747-8F, the An-124 was, for thirty years, the world's highest aircraft gross weight production cargo airplane and second heaviest operating cargo aircraft, behind the one-off Antonov An-225 (a greatly enlarged design based on the An-124). The An-124 remains the largest military transport aircraft in the world.
The Ruslan is designed for long-range delivery and air dropping of heavy and large size cargo, including machines, equipment and troops. During development it was known as Izdeliye 400 (Product #400) in house, and An-40 in the West. First flown in 1982, and entered service in January 1986.

The Xian Y-20 (Chinese: 运 -20) is a heavy military transport aircraft being built by Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group), a part of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The official codename of the aircraft is Kunpeng (Chinese: 鲲鹏) after the mythical bird of ancient China that can fly for thousands of kilometres.

The Antonov An-178 (Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-178) is a short-range medium-airlift military transport aircraft designed by the Ukrainian Antonov company and based on the Antonov An-158 (An-148-200). The first An-178 prototype was rolled out in Kyiv on 16 April 2015. The aircraft will be available in both civil and military configurations, and will replace the ageing aircraft such as Antonov An-12, Antonov An-26 and Antonov An-32.
Construction on the second An-178 aircraft began in March 2015 while maiden flight of the aircraft is expected to take place in late 2015.

Also known as the Alto, the Derby missile is a beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air medium-range (~50 km) active radar homing missile (AAM) developed by collaborative effort between Israeli defence company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aircraft Industries MBT to meet the combat needs of the armed forces.
Though technically not part of the "Python" family, the missile is an enlarged version of the Python-4 with an active-radar seeker.

The R-27 (AA-10 Alamo) is a guided medium range, air-to-air missile manufactured by Russian firm Vympel and Ukrainian firm Artem.This missile was designed for the Soviet Union's forth-generation fighters such as the MiG-29 and Su-27 featuring exceptional maneuverability replacing in service MiG-23 fighters armed with the R-23 missiles. Furthermore this missile is carried by improved versions of the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, Su-30, Su-33, Su-34, Su-35, Su-37 and Yak-141.

The R-73 is short-range air-to-air missile, close-combat standardized missile was developed in the Vympel Machine Building Design Bureau, and became operational in 1984. The R-73 is included in the weapon complex of MiG-23MLD, MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters and their modifications and also of Mi-24, Mi-28 and Ka-50 helicopters. It also can be employed in flying craft which do not have sophisticated aiming systems.

The ASRAAM (Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile), also known by its United States identifier AIM-132, is the next generation infrared-guided, an imaging infrared homing ("heat seeking") air-to-air missile designed and built by MBDA UK (formerly Matra BAe Dynamics) to provide enhanced aerial combat capabilities for fighter aircraft. It is currently in service in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), replacing the AIM-9 Sidewinder. ASRAAM is designed to outrange and outrun any other IR missile in service, allowing the pilot to fire and then turn away long before the opposing aircraft can close for a shot.

The RBS15 Mk3 is a fire-and-forget, subsonic cruise type missile launched from ships and trucks. The missile can be used for anti-ship missions and land strikes.
The RBS15 Mk3 surface-to-surface missile (SSM) was developed jointly by Diehl BGT Defence and Saab Bofors Dynamics. It is the latest variant of the RBS15 anti-ship missile family.

The AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) is a fire-and-forget air-to-air missile manufactured by Raytheon, and has replaced the AIM-7 Sparrow as the U.S. military's standard BVR (Beyond Visual Range) intercept missile. It has an all-weather, beyond-visual-range capability and is scheduled to be operational beyond 2000. AMRAAM is a supersonic, air launched, aerial intercept, guided missile employing active radar target tracking, proportional navigation guidance, and active Radio Frequency (RF) target detection.

The AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) is a long-range, conventional, air-to-ground, precision standoff missile developed and produced by Lockheed Martin. This conventional missile was designed primarily for the US Air Force (USAF). Designed to destroy high-value, well-defended, fixed and relocatable targets, JASSM’s significant standoff range keeps aircrews well out of danger from hostile air defense systems.

The AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) is a tactical, air-to-surface missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems. It was originally developed by Texas Instruments as a replacement for the AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard ARM system. Production was later taken over by Raytheon Corporation when it purchased the defense production business of Texas Instruments.
The AGM-88 can detect, attack and destroy a radar antenna or transmitter with minimal aircrew input.

The AGM-154 JSOW (Joint Standoff Weapon) is a modular precision-attack glide bomb, which is included in this missile directory because of its guided missile designation manufactured by Raytheon. The AGM-154 is the product of a joint venture between the United States Navy and Air Force to deploy a standardized medium range precision guided weapon, especially for engagement of defended targets from outside the range of standard anti-aircraft defenses, thereby increasing aircraft survivability and minimizing friendly losses.

The PZL W-3 Sokół (en: Falcon) is a Polish medium-size, twin-engine, multipurpose helicopter manufactured by PZL-Świdnik (now AgustaWestland Świdnik). The PZL W-3 military version was designed to deliver combat support for the armed forces. It can destroy fixed and moving armoured targets as well as hostile troops.
The design of the PZL W-3 Sokol combat helicopter was based on the inputs from the Polish Air Brigade's combat operations in Iraq.

The Mil Mi-24 (Russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been operated since 1972 by the Soviet Air Force and its successors, along with more than 30 other nations.
Soviet pilots called the Mi-24 the "flying tank" (летающий танк; letayushchiy tank), a term used historically with the famous World War II Soviet Il-2 Shturmovik armored ground attack aircraft.

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft.
The V-22 Osprey developed by Boeing and Bell Helicopters. Boeing is responsible for the fuselage, landing gear, avionics, electrical and hydraulic systems, performance and flying qualities.

The Boeing 767 is an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. It was designed in response to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's requirements, and is essentially the Boeing E-3 Sentry's surveillance radar and air control system installed on a Boeing 767-200. The Boeing 767 AWACS airborne warning and control system has been selected by Japan to carry out airborne surveillance and command and control (C2) operations for tactical and air defence forces.