the u.s navy has been the most powerful naval force in the world since 1943
but that supremacy is being challenged as russia and especially china build ever
more sophisticated systems including aircraft carriers quiet submarines and hypersonic missiles
the navy has the mission of securing american interest on the ocean otherwise known as most of
the planet navies that don't evolve are doomed to defeat and america is no exception but the
u.s navy has a plethora of new equipment on the drawing boards the shipyards and the factories
here are seven weapons that have helped them fight battles throughout the years
stanford missile there's really nothing standard about this weapon the standard missile has a
boring name but awesome capabilities it's a family of missiles that are primarily for shooting down
planes and helicopters but can also attack ships cruise missiles and ballistic missiles
one even took out a satellite currently different missiles are needed for different missions the
sm-2 can [ __ ] an enemy ship while the sm-3 focuses on ballistic missiles the youngest
member of the family may change that the sm-6 has successfully engaged crews and ballistic missiles
and may be tested against surface ships in the future mk-48 heavyweight torpedo
the mk-40 weight heavy torpedo has 650 pounds of high explosives packed into
its warhead it can swim at 28 knots for more than five miles to reach its target
homing in on it with an advanced sonar system the mod7 version has sonar and guidance for
better engaging targets in both deep and literal waters while getting past enemy countermeasures
tomahawk land attack missile
one of the most dangerous weapons at 569 thousand dollars apiece tomahawks are expensive cruise
missiles that pack a huge punch they fly at 550 miles per hour and have a maximum range between
700 and 1350 nautical miles depending on which version of the missile is used they can carry
either 166 bomblets a thousand pound conventional warhead or the w80 nuclear warhead with a 5-150 kt
yield the block 4 tomahawk missiles can even be reprogrammed in flight to hit different targets
railgun
like the laser above the railgun is currently serving on only one navy ship the usns millinocket
carries the prototype weapon essentially a cannon that uses magnets instead of chemical
propellants to fire around over a hundred and ten nautical miles because the round is
moving so fast it can bust bunkers and other hard targets without the need for explosives
also the railgun is expected to be able to engage missiles
speed boats and aircraft at a fraction of the cost of other weapons
trident 2 ballistic missile
deployed aboard ohio classic ballistic missile submarines
each trident 2 can carry 14 independently targeted nuclear warheads the warheads can
be the w76 with a yield of a hundred kt or the w88 which yields at a 475 kt explosion
the submarines were built to carry 24 each the number of nuclear warheads on a trident 2 was
limited to 8 and the number of missiles on each submarine was limited to 20 by nuclear treaties
the lengths close-in weapon system
the radar-guided rapid firing mk-15 phalenx close-in weapon system can fire between
three thousand to forty five hundred twenty millimeter cannon rounds per minute
either autonomously or under manual command as a last ditch defense against
incoming missiles and other targets but lynx uses closed loop spotting with advanced radar
and computer technology to locate identify and direct a stream of armor-piercing projectiles
toward the target these capabilities have made the philanths ciws a critical bolt-on subsystem
for naval vessels around the world and led to the c-ram centurion a land-based system
designed to defend against incoming artillery and mortars laser weapon system
yes this weapon is exactly what it sounds like already deployed aboard the uss palsy the navy's
laser weapon system concentrates light into a fine point heating a target until it burns or explodes
so far the laser has only been used in test but the crew of the uss ponzi is allowed to
use the laser to defend the ship from actual threats the laser can fire at different targets
in rapid succession since shots cost less than a dollar each double tapping is probably fine
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