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Optical instruments that establish an optical line or axis for the purpose of aiming a weapon. The axis includes the observer's eye, a suitable mark in the instrument, and the target. For a pistol, the traditional iron sights employ a rear notch and…

Weapons that arm warships. Of the wide variety of such weapons, three important categories are exclusively naval: antiship missiles, torpedoes, and mines. Other weapons all correspond to land-based types, but submarine-launched ballistic missiles…

A weapon that consists of integral rocket propulsion, means of pointing or guiding the weapon's velocity vector to a prescribed orientation at the position and time of rocket engine shutoff or burnout, and a warhead. In certain applications, means…

The art and science of preserving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum for friendly forces while denying its use to the enemy. This is accomplished via use of techniques, devices, and equipment by an adversary to deny or counteract an enemy's use…

An expendable device that enables aircraft to detect underwater objects, such as submarines, acoustically. Acoustics is the preferred energy form for use in salt water, because it tends to be the least attenuated by the medium.A sonobuoy consists of…

An autonomous undersea vehicle that can be launched from submarines, surface ships, or aircraft to attack enemy submarines and surface ships. An acoustic torpedo is a sophisticated weapon. Its main components are a guidance and control system, a…

That category of weapons which are typically delivered on target by fixed or rotary-wing aircraft, with the exception of nuclear weapons. Specifically included are guns and ammunition, rockets, free-fall bombs, cluster weapons that consist of a…

All measures required to combat enemy submarines, including strategy, operational employment of forces, tactics, and a wide variety of equipment and weapons to find and destroy submarines and to neutralize their weapons. Goals The key physical facts…

The weapons, equipment, and supplies that permit lethal or nonlethal devices to strike their targets. Armaments can be classified as field artillery, individual and crew-served weapons (infantry), armor and antiarmor, antiaircraft, helicopter…

The branch of applied physics which deals with the motion of projectiles and the conditions governing their motion. Ballistics is, for practical purposes, subdivided into exterior and interior ballistics. Exterior ballistics begins at the instant a…

A burst of electromagnetic energy. In a military context—and the subject of this article—an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a transient electromagnetic signal produced by a nuclear explosion in or above Earth's atmosphere (Fig. 1). Though not…

Intentional generation of interfering signals in the electromagnetic and infrared spectrum by powerful transmitters as a countermeasure intended to block a communication, radar, or infrared system or to impair its effectiveness appreciably. Radio…

Artificial satellites used for a variety of military purposes. Of approximately 4000 satellites successfully launched between 1957 and 1999, about 50% have been either specifically military or usable for military purposes. Major functions of…

An explosion whose energy is produced by a nuclear transformation, either fission or fusion. Nuclear explosions can be either natural or artificial, for example in the form of a star undergoing a supernova or the deliberate detonation of an…

Multipurpose instruments used to make measurements on a remote object, often an airborne vehicle. These systems are used to provide two basic types of data: accurate measurement of the position, velocity and other motion parameters of the target;…

An optical instrument that permits viewing along a displaced or deflected axis, providing an observer with the view from a position which may be inaccessible or dangerous. Periscopes range in complexity from the simple unit-power tank periscope to…

A ship that can operate completely submerged in the water. The term "submarine" formerly applied to any ship capable of operating completely underwater, but now usually describes a ship built for military purposes (Fig. 1). The expected military…

A device for suddenly producing an explosive neutron chain reaction in a fissile material such as uranium-235 (235U) or plutonium-239 (239Pu). An atomic bomb derives its destructive potency from the rapid release of nuclear energy brought about by…

A device in which an uncontrolled, self-sustaining, thermonuclear fusion reaction is carried out in heavy hydrogen (deuterium or tritium) to produce an explosion. Initial conceptualization of the hydrogen bomb occurred alongside development of the…

The discovery of the technique of modulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal initiated the journey of the ever-evolving military communications field. However, RF modulation was a mere scientific curiosity until hardware improvements and better…

A magnitude 5.1 nuclear test was detected 376 km (234 mi) NE of Pyongyang, North Korea (DPRK) on January 6, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. local time (01:30 UTC), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The event was picked up at seismic stations around…

A mine that either passively listens to a target's sound noises, or periodically interrogates its environment by actively emitting acoustic pulses that may return echoes if prospective targets come within range. A mine is an underwater weapon…

An uncrewed, controlled-flight vehicle that is guided to a target by guidance and control equipment. This equipment may be carried in the missile vehicle itself, or guidance may be directed from the launch site. The term is generally reserved for…

Many kinds of aircraft have been designed for highly specialized military applications. Fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, free-flight balloons, and blimps have all been used in both crewed and crewless flight modes for military purposes.…

When any possible emergency threatens the security or socioeconomic structure of the United States or any political subdivision, an appropriate warning must be made in order for a reaction to occur within an appropriate period of time. Any such…

Surface combatants are required to operate in hostile environments. When underway, combatants are under the constant surveillance of arrays of passive and active sensing devices, designed to detect a range of signals generated or scattered by ships…

The world's navies continue to explore a variety of ship, landing craft, and amphibian vehicle designs to improve amphibious assaults. There has been an evolution over the last 60 years from ships coming close to shore to deliver troops and supplies…

April 22, 2015 was the 100th anniversary of the first large-scale use of chemical weapons in modern warfare. Some of the best minds in chemistry at that time, including a Nobel Prize winner, used their knowledge of science to build humanity’s…

Nerve agents have a surprising history, and it’s just as morbid as you might expect. Although they were not invented as chemical weapons, nerve agents such as sarin have been in use since World War I, and unfortunately are still in use…