PAYLOAD - 100 KG. - 220 POUNDS
RANGE - 16 MILES LOW ALTITUDE SEA SKIMMER
DIAMETER - .36 METERS (1.2 FEET)
LENGTH - 4.7 METERS (15.4 FEET)
WEIGHT - 600 KG. (1,320 LB.)
ENGINE - KEROSENE RAMJET
GUIDANCE - ACTIVE/PASSIVE R/F SEEKER - ARM VERSION
SPEED - MACH 2.7 (1,785 KEAS OR 3,010 FPS) AT 30 FEET
MACH 3.5+ AT ALTITUDE
That is until recently.
In 1997 the U.S. Navy test fired four kerosene ramjet powered MA-31 missiles with a blistering Mach 2.7 performance at 30 feet over the sea. Three of the MA-31 target drones were test fired to verify performance - which according to the manufacturer was over 1700 miles an hour at sea level and over Mach 3.5 at altitude.
The fourth MA-31 drone was flown in a live fire exercise in which the Navy was reportedly unable to shoot it down. The Navy was so impressed with the MA-31 they have requested and obtained permission from the Clinton administration to purchase nine more of the hot cruise missiles...
From the Russian Zvezda-Strela missile design bureau.
The MA-31 is derived from the Russian ramjet powered Kh-31 cruise missile. The titanium Kh-31 was built in 1988 by Zvezda-Strela for the former Soviet Union as an anti-ship cruise missile.
On Monday, November 2, 1998, the Chief of Naval operations visited the Softwar web site.
On the same day, the U.S. Navy Admiral in charge of the Russian missile program, Admiral George Huchting, suddenly announced his retirement, effective on November 11, 1998 (Veterans Day). House National Security members are scrambling to serve the retiring Admiral a formal request to answer questions before he leaves the service.
Normally the Kh-31 is carried by the MiG-29 Fulcrum or Su-27 Flanker fighters, including the SU-35 and SU-31 (see above). The Kh-31 is currently being offered for export equipped with either an active or passive RF seeker. The Kh-31 has also appeared under the MiG-31 in an anti-air role, using the passive R/F seeker to home in on U.S. radar planes such as the E-2 Hawkeye or E-3 Sentry. Other possible customers for the Kh-31 include India, Syria, Libya, Iran and China.
PAYLOAD - RIM-8 TALOS (RETIRED FROM SERVICE)
LARGE HE OR 100+ KILOTON NUCLEAR
TARGET VERSION CARRIES RADIO BEACON & DATA RECORDERS
RANGE - 55+ MILES LOW ALTITUDE SEA SKIMMER
75+ MILES HIGH ALTITUDE
DIAMETER - 30 INCHES
LENGTH - 31 FEET 3 INCHES
WEIGHT - 7,000 POUNDS WITH SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER
ENGINE - SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER
KEROSINE/NAPHTHA INTEGRAL RAMJET SUSTAINER
GUIDANCE - GPS/Inertial
SPEED - MACH 2.2 (1,500 KEAS OR 2,500 FPS) AT 9 FEET
MACH 3+ AT ALTITUDE
Sea Snake is a 1990s version of the U.S. Navy Talos/Vandal ramjet powered missile produced by Allied Signal at Mishawaka, Indiana. The Talos missile was deployed as the number one surface to air defense missile for the Navy during the Cold war. Some versions even carried nuclear warheads.
Talos is a battle proven weapon. Talos had a long and successful career filling Navy air defense needs until it was retired from service in the late 1980s. During the Vietnam War a single Talos destroyed two MiGs at a distance of over 65 miles. Talos was also used to strike North Vietnamese radar sites on the ground over 75 miles inland.
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