Jane’s Naval Weapon Systems

Comprehensive coverage of a wide range of naval weapon systems and their respective control systems and sensors. Naval Weapon Systems presents a complete picture on weapon development, specifications and deployment.

Content Structure
Jane’s Naval Weapon Systems remains a dynamic publication and we seek to adapt the structure to meet the reader’s expectations. The basic structure retains the approach adopted in 1994; Command Systems, ‘Intelligent’ Weapons, ‘Dumb’ Weapons and Specialised Weapon Systems, but with Update 36 we modified the elements within the structure by eliminating the Specialised Weapon Systems and revising the two weapons systems sections. Command, Surveillance and Weapon Control Systems continues to cover Tactical Data Handling Systems, Weapon Control Systems and what are increasingly called Combat Direction Systems. The ‘Intelligent’ Weapons section includes Surface-to-Surface Missiles (a title selected because we correctly anticipated the growth in land-attack weapons), and Surface-to-Air Missiles together with their Weapon Handling and Launching Systems but the changing nature of undersea warfare has dictated some changes. We have established an Underwater Weapons Section which combines the Torpedoes and Anti-Submarine Weapons, the latter increasingly missiles, and we are now including a section on Embarked Helicopters. The latter is included in recognition of the fact that in larger warships (destroyers and frigates) airborne platforms are part of the combat system augmenting ship-based sensors and weapon systems.

The ‘Dumb’ Weapons are dominated by guns ranging from the diminutive 7.62 mm machine gun to the 155 mm(6.1 in) medium calibre gun but a few rocket-launchers are also included. Ammunition has been deleted, for since the appearance of Jane’s Naval Weapon Systems, Jane’s Information Group has developed a dedicated publication titled Jane’s Ammunition Handbook edited by Anthony Williams and Leland Ness while Martin Streetly with Jane’s Radar and Electronic Warfare Systems and Cliff Funnel with Jane’s Underwater Warfare Systems cover the electronic and underwater aspects of decoys in greater depth and for this reason the Decoy Section of Jane’s Naval Weapon Systems has been deleted.

Structure
The title is divided into seven main sections which are detailed below. These main sections are further sub-divided into entries presented first nationally (or, increasingly, internationally) and then alphabetically.

• Command, Surveillance and Weapon Control Systems
• Surface-to-Surface Missiles
• Surface-to-Air Missiles
• Underwater Weapons
• Embarked Helicopters
• Weapon Handling and Launching Systems
• Guns and Rocket Launchers

Record Structure
The entries themselves are in a standard format showing the following main headings:

• Type - Type is a one-line description of the product.
• Development - Development describes its evolution until the system entered service as well as outline differences between different production variants. There are various ways of choosing when a system entered service including delivery to the ship, formal acceptance by the first customer or completion of all testing but we have usually selected as the date when the first ship with the product was commissioned (or sometimes re-commissioned).
• Description - Description is intended to provide a logical and detailed explanation of the product’s role, appearance or organisation, composition and method of operation as well as the differences between major variants.
• Where little is known about a product the Development and Description headings are merged.
• Specifications - Specifications provides technical details at-a glance and, as most subscribers recognise, where ‘Intelligent’ Weapons are concerned range and speed data are not absolutes and often represent the maximum range at which a certain hit probability will occur, although this still provides a valuable guide in evaluating a system.
• Status - Status indicates (often to the nearest five) how many of the products have been produced and its current production status as well as tables showing the customers, their platforms and associated hardware but, as mentioned in the Glossary, the term ‘Type’ is a generic one and the selection is based on data in Jane’s Fighting Ships.
• Contractor - Contractor provides the name of the prime contractor and, occasionally, major sub-contractors where appropriate, as well as those who have a manufacturing license. Many navies regard their own procurement organisations as the prime contractor but, increasingly, this task is being delegated to commercial organisations.

This book is ‘topped’ by the Section Contents list, Glossary and Acronyms & Abbreviations and ‘tailed’ by a Contractors’ list (which is plagued by mergers, acquisitions and name changes) as well as an Alphabetical Index which begins with numerical designations which are followed by alphabetical ones with all entries fully cross-referenced.

Images
Wherever possible, illustrations of the hardware or layout are also provided. Images are annotated with a seven-digit number which uniquely identifies them in Jane’s image database.

Other Information
Reference works are often full of contradictions; many readers treat them as the Bible of the subject which it covers and often assume the only changes come with new products or company name changes, while others recognise that the structure of such works may change radically over the years. In these respects Jane’s Naval Weapon Systems is no different from any other reference work.

The objective remains to provide the reader with the most comprehensive source of data on naval weapon systems which are in service or being offered on the market, providing details of the product’s evolution and development, a detailed description, operational status and technical specifications. When it was first published, Jane’s Naval Weapon Systems was in a loose-leaf binder format so that subsequent amendments could easily be performed on a regular basis to ensure that it would be up-to date. After some five years, the decision to republish the book in 1994 provided an opportunity to improve and to rationalise the structure making it more responsive to changing requirements including the growth of electro-optical sensors. Six years later, improvements in publishing technology, and responses to readers’ requests, have allowed the replacement of the binder format with that of a soft-back book which is supplemented by Jane’s Online service. One of the disadvantages of the old system from the Editor’s viewpoint was that there were limits on the number of entries which could be updated at any one time and this meant that minor changes tended to be neglected in favour of major, on-going programmes. While the number of entries which may be updated in the new format is not infinite more will now be updated.

Occasionally, criticism has reached the Editor about weapon performance data but these are often based on classified sources. None of the entries rely on classified sources either for preparation or amendment and all the data is from open disclosure. Much of the information comes from the manufacturer and the Editor would like to pay tribute to those companies (and development agencies) whose representatives and officials have been kind enough to provide briefings, to supply data sheets and illustrations as well as answering specific inquiries by telephone, fax or e-mail. Their data usually provides the basis for an entry but this is frequently supplemented by data from articles or news stories from subject-related magazines as well as data from reference or even historical works.

Sections

• Acronyms and abbreviations
• Analysis
• Command, surveillance and weapon control systems
• Contractors
• Embarked helicopters
• Glossary
• Guns and rocket launchers
• Surface-to-air missiles
• Surface-to-surface missiles
• Underwater weapons
• Weapon handling and launching systems

Commonly Used Terms
Aircraft carrier (all categories of fixed-wing aircraft carrier including nuclear-powered), Amphibious Assault Ship (Helicopter carrying) (includes US Navy LPH), Amphibious Command Ship, Amphibious warfare ship (includes US LKA, LPA, LPD, LSD, LST), Auxiliary (all types), Coast Guard Patrol Vessel, Corvette, Destroyer (all categories), Diesel-electric power submarine, Fast attack craft (includes motor-torpedo boats/PT boats, motor gun boats and missile boats), Frigate, Light cruiser, Mine-countermeasures vessel (and minelayers), Missile cruiser, Nuclear-powered attack submarine, Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, Patrol boat (includes OPVs, motor gun boats and US Coast Guard cutters), Police Patrol Vessel, River Patrol boat

Copyright © IHS (Global) Limited, 2009 All rights reserved | Terms of use | Jane's Privacy Policy