encyclopedia of modern us military weapons

509 Pages·2002·9.65 MB·English

From the Foreword by
Colonel Walter J. Boyne, USAF (Ret.)
"Written in a brisk, accessible style, this encyclopedia provides a col-
lective description of the principle weapons systems of the United
States at the most definitive juncture of American defense policy . . .
"The authors have provided listings for all U.S. weapons anywhere
in the world, encompassing systems as old as the Douglas C-47
'Gooney Bird' and as new as its twenty-first-century successor, the
McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III. Each individual listing
provides information on the weapons system, its evolution, devel-
opment, variants, combat experience and specifications. The cover-
age of ships is particularly valuable, for it includes a listing of every
ship within its class, by hull number, ship's name, builder, and with
key dates. Similarly, exhaustive detail is provided for armored fight-
ing vehicles, missiles, and other weapons.
"Tim Laur and Steve Llanso are experts in the field and their book
is an important contribution to military literature, providing as it
does an instant reference to the weapons systems of all the services
of the United States."
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Times Book of Great Land Battles by Colonel J. D. Morelock; Clash of
Chariots: The Great Tank Battles by Tom Donnelly and Sean Naylor; and
The Navy Times Book of Submarines by Brayton Harris.
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ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF
MODERN
U.S.
MILITARY
WEAPONS
COLONEL TIMOTHY M. LAUR
AND STEVEN L. LLANSO
Edited by Walter J. Boyne
BERKLEY BOOKS, NEW YORK
Page xi photo: MRLS Missile Launch (courtesy US Army).
This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MODERN U.S. MILITARY WEAPONS
A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with
The Army Times Publishing Company
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley hardcover edition / August 1995
Berkley trade paperback edition / July 1998
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995 by The Army Times Publishing Company.
Book design by Irving Perkins Associates.
This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part,
by mimeograph or any other means, without permission.
For information address:
The Berkley Publishing Group, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc.,
200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016.
The Penguin Putnam Inc. World Wide Web site address is
http://www.penguinputnam.com
ISBN: 0-425-16437-3
BERKLEY®
Berkley Books are published by
The Berkley Publishing Group, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc.,
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BERKLEY and the "B" design are trademarks
belonging to Berkley Publishing Corporation.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are indebted to several people Doris Roth Carr, David Wilton, and Ladda
and organizations who have helped us during Tammy Duckworth. Current database senior
the progress of this work. Of particular value editor Greg Beaudoin also contributed by
early in the discussions of the book were Nor- keeping us supplied with last-minute data
man Polmar and Walter Boyne, who suggested changes.
it and encouraged us to do it in the first place. Also helping us were Mary Anna Kaufer of
In the accumulation of data, photos, and the Air Mobility Command Historian Office,
other supporting documents, many people Rita Marcus of Air Weather Service's Historian
and agencies provided us with help. Most of Office, and Joe Wilson and Betty Dahl of the
the photographs are from the Department of AMC Public Affairs Office. Master Sergeant
Defense's Public Affairs slide and photo- Thomas E. Pennington of the 89th Military
graphic library. Major Jim Bates of the Air Airlift Wing provided presidential aircraft in-
Force Space Command and Staff Sergeant formation. Guy Asito of the Air Force Associa-
George Hayward of USSPACECOM provided tion helped with his time and resources.
key materials. Marge Holtz, Tricia Larsen, and Several defense industry public affairs spe-
Nancy Breen of the Military Sealift Command cialists helped us find and use graphics of their
helped with sealift and underway- weapons systems, including Dick Sherman
replenishment-ship information. and Don Bernstein of Raytheon, Don Gille-
The cooperation and support of the United land and Karl G. Oskoian of General Dy-
Communications Group, specifically Bruce namics Land Systems, George Baldwin of Bath
Levenson, Ed Peskowitz, and Nancy Becker, Iron Works, and Karen Hagar of Lockheed-
are particularly appreciated, along with for- Fort Worth.
mer Periscope Military Database editors Deb- Naturally, any errors are the sole respon-
orah Boyle Hoffman, Patricia Byars Ramirez, sibility of the authors.
CONTENTS
Foreword ix
AIRCRAFT
Attack 1
Bombers 15
Cargo 28
Electronic/Reconnaissance/Observation 54
Fighters 79
Rotary Wing 102
Tankers 153
ARTILLERY/GUNS
Aircraft Guns 158
Mortars 165
Naval Guns 168
Self-Propelled Guns and Howitzers 173
Towed Guns and Howitzers 180
Vehicle Guns 187
GROUND COMBAT VEHICLES
Air Defense Vehicles 191
Armored Personnel Carriers 196
Armored Reconnaissance Vehicles 208
Combat Support and Service Vehicles 212
Light and Main Battle Tanks 226
MISSILES/ROCKETS/BOMBS
AntiAir 237
Antiradar Missiles 257
Antiship Missiles 261
Antitank Missiles 265
Land-Attack Missiles 275
Vlll CONTENTS
NAVAL MINES AND TORPEDOES
Naval Mines 290
Torpedoes 294
SENSORS AND ELECTRONIC WARFARE
Airborne Radars 300
Ground Radars 319
Naval Radars 331
Strategic Warning Radars 349
Sonars 358
Table ofSonobuoys 371
Table of Electronic Warfare Systems 372
Airborne 372
Ground-Based 379
Naval 381
SHIPS/SUBMARINES (by class)
Aircraft Carriers 385
Amphibious Ships 393
Auxiliary Ships 403
Battleships 412
Coast Guard Ships 414
Command Ships 419
Cruisers 422
Destroyers 431
Frigates/Corvettes 436
Mine Warfare Ships 439
Sealift and Prepositioned Ships 441
Small Combatants 445
Attack Submarines 447
Strategic Submarines 451
Underway-Replenishment Ships 453
APPENDICES
Strategic Missiles 461
Register of Ships 469
FOREWORD
For the first half of the twentieth century, satisfy the requirements of anyone from
most major weapons systems had rela- novice to expert.
tively short life spans; the Spad XIIIs, Written in a brisk, accessible style, this
which Captain Edward Rickenbacker encyclopedia provides a collective de-
flew over the Western Front, had a service scription of the principal weapons sys-
life of only a few years. During World War tems of the United States at the most
II, it was unusual for an aircraft or a tank definitive juncture of American defense
to have a service life of more than five or policy, which is being redefined to an un-
six years. Ships were by their size and ex- precedented degree by the end of the
pense somewhat longer lived, but almost cold war. For the first time in two centu-
inevitably their mission was downgraded ries, Europe is not threatened by a single
over time. For supporting systems, like great continental power. The U.S. de-
field telephones, artillery, radio sets, fense policy is no longer predicated on
bomb sights, rockets, radar and elec- mutually assured destruction, or on the
tronic countermeasures, the life span was defeat of massive Soviet land armies
even shorter, sometimes measured in pouring through the Fulda Gap. Instead,
months, not years, as technology over- attention now has to be focused on the
took it. proliferation of threats—it was not ob-
Today, however, the life span of weapon vious to the West that during the cold war
systems is often measured in decades; the Soviet Union was maintaining peace
who would have imagined when the B-52 within its sphere of influence. Russia's
first flew in April 1952 that the Strato- sphere of influence is now much dimin-
fortress would be scheduled for service ished, and the policies of many of the
well into the next century? Who would former states of the Soviet Union un-
have thought that the great battleships predictable, to say the least. With the in-
Iowa, New Jersey, and Missouri would be evitable proliferation of nuclear weap-
hauled from their mothballs to be put ons, the United States faces new and im-
into combat again? Times and technol- ponderable threats which, because of
ogy have changed, and as costs have risen continuing cuts in the U.S. military bud-
and the defense budget reduced, more get, will have to be addressed primarily
effort is placed in extending the useful with the weapons systems currently in ex-
lives of the weapons already in existence. istence.
This is but one of the reasons that the The authors have provided listings for
Encyclopedia of Modern U.S. Military Weap- all U.S. weapons anywhere in the world,
ons is such a valuable contribution to the encompassing systems as old as the Doug-
literature, for the weapons it describes las C-47 "Gooney Bird" and as new as its
will be relied upon by the American twenty-first-century successor, the Mc-
armed forces and their allies for the fore- Donnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III.
seeable future. The book is the most com- Each individual listing provides informa-
prehensive and complete reference avail- tion on the weapons system, its evolution,
able on U.S. military equipment, and will development, variants, combat experi-
X FOREWORD
ence, and specifications. The coverage of Tim Laur and Steve Llanso are experts
ships is particularly valuable, for it in- in the field and their book is an impor-
cludes a listing of every ship within its tant contribution to military literature,
class, by hull number, ship's name, providing as it does an instant reference
builder, and with key dates. Similarly ex- to the weapons systems of all the services
haustive detail is provided for armored of the United States.
fighting vehicles, missiles, and other —Walter J. Boyne
weapons.