Not only can money buy the loyalty of armed forces and mercenary hires, but a strong economy allows for the development of incredibly powerful weapons that potentially alter the balance of power in terms of military might. Of course, the multi-billion dollar armaments are only really the reserve of the already-rich – and therefore necessarily powerful – nations.The most expensive military vehicles in the world are technologically advanced weapons platforms that are capable of wreaking devastation on nearly any locale on earth. Almost all of these vehicles are warships such as destroyers, submarines and aircraft carriers, packed with tomahawk missiles, nuclear reactors, powerful engines and other types of warheads. The lone exception is a stealth bomber that can rain nuclear missiles half way across the earth with only a single refuelling. Of course, the majority of the most expensive military vehicles are owned by the United States armed forces.10. INS Vikramaditya – $2.35 billion
INS Vikramaditya (Sanskrit, Vikramāditya meaning "Brave as the Sun" is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013. She has been renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary emperor of Ujjain, India.Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet Navy and later with the Russian Navy (as Admiral Gorshkov) before being decommissioned in 1996.The carrier was purchased by India on 20 January 2004 after years of negotiations at a final price of $2.35 billion.The ship successfully completed her sea trials in July 2013 and aviation trials in September 2013The INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier purchased by India’s military from Russia’s military-industrial complex. Costs for the purchase were inflated when the Russians demanded more money, as India made it clear how committed they were to securing the vehicle.The warship weighs 44,500 tons, measures 932 feet long and 200 feet wide. The INS Vikramaditya has a range of 7,000 nautical miles and is propelled by a system of eight diesel boilers that features 6 turbo alternators and 6 diesel alternators. This carrier has a capacity of 1,600 to 2,000 personnel and more than thirty planes, helicopters and other aircraft.9. B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber – $2.4 billion
The B-2 Spirit is a long range bomber capable of surviving extended missions under considerable duress. This aircraft’s skin is designed to capture radar signals and protects against radiation in case of nuclear attack.
The B-2 is capable of all-altitude attack missions up to 50,000 feet (15,000 m), with a range of more than 6,000 nautical miles (6,900 mi; 11,000 km) on internal fuel and over 10,000 nautical miles (12,000 mi; 19,000 km) with one midair refueling. It entered service in 1997 as the second aircraft designed to have advanced stealth technology after the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk attack aircraft. Though designed originally as primarily a nuclear bomber, the B-2 was first used in combat, dropping conventional, non-nuclear ordnance in the Kosovo War in 1999. It later served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.The shape of this aircraft is also designed to encourage stealth as it hides engines that create about 35,000 pounds of thrust. Capable of carrying about 50,000 pounds of weapons, the B-2 can be equipped with up to 16 nuclear stores and has a range of about 6,000 nautical miles on a full tank. Despite the striking, exotic design and incredibly advanced technology features in this aircraft, the overall design is inspired by organic flight, resembling a single wing.8. Varyag Aircraft Carrier – $2.4 billion
7. Virginia Class Submarine – $2.5 billion
This is a new class of attack submarine developed for multiple missions, stealth, shallow water and deep water combat. The Virginia Class vessel is powered by a nuclear reactor and includes four torpedo tubes and 12 vertical missile launchers, capable of launching up to 16 cruise missiles in a single burst.The stealth capabilities of this vessel include the potential for a mini-submarine capable of delivering teams of Navy SEALs for missions of reconnaissance and combat. The nuclear reactor is paired with two turbine engines and a pump jet, generating over 29 megawatts of energy.
6. USS America – $3.4 billion
USS America (LHA-6), the fourth American warship to be named for the United States of America,[11] is the first of the America-class amphibious assault ships for the U.S. Navy. She was delivered in spring of 2014, replacing Peleliu of the Tarawa class. Her mission is to act as the flagship of an expeditionary strike group or amphibious ready group, carrying part of a Marine expeditionary unit into battle and putting them ashore with helicopters and V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, supported by F-35B Lightning II aircraft and helicopter gunships.
The ship's design is based on USS Makin Island, but to allow more room for aviation facilities she does not have a well deck, and has smaller medical spaces. With a displacement of 45,000 tons, she is as large as the aircraft carriers of many other nations, and can fulfill similar missions when configured with 20 F-35B strike fighters.The USS America is an LHA 6 America-class amphibious assault vessel and one of the newest warships of the United States Navy. Propelled by a gas fuelled turbine system, the operational range of the USS America is 11,000 nautical miles at 16 knots and 22,000 miles at a pace of 12.5 knots. This warship carries up to 34 planes, 10 of which are strike aircraft, all fitting on a 86,000 square-foot flight deck.Approximately 18,300 square feet of storage is dedicated to assault vehicles. A total of six weapons and cargo elevators move troops and equipment above and below decks, which include 120,000 square feet of storage specifically for combat equipment and other needs.5. Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier- $4 billion
4. HMS Astute – $5.5 billion
HMS Astute is an operational nuclear-powered submarine in the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class. Astute is the second submarine of the Royal Navy to be named after the characteristic of shrewdness and discernment—the first was the World War II-era Amphion-class Astute. She was the largest attack submarine in Royal Navy history when commissioned.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Astute is a Nimitz class submarine that recently became stuck off the coast of Scotland after running aground during the transfer of troops to shore. Unfortunately, despite harboring a nuclear engine capable of propelling the HMS Astute at 30 knots, a fleet of tugs and tow boats had to be called to get the advanced warship out of its hilarious predicament. The HMS Astute is equipped with state of the art spearfish torpedoes that can sink vessels up to 30 miles away and tomahawk land-attack missiles with a range of over 1,000 miles. Of course, the advanced suite of modern sensors didn’t help sailors avoid ramming Scotland with the sub.3. DDG 1000 Zumwalt-Class Destroyer – $7 billion
The initial costs of the DDG 1000 Zumwalt-Class destroyer, a stealth warship designed to sneak past defenses before releasing a huge payload, were estimated to be $3.8 billion dollars. However, the cost of this highly-advanced warship skyrocketed as the U.S. Navy jammed the ship full of the latest in technological advances. Reportedly, this boat appears no bigger than a fishing boat on enemy radars.Included on the USS Zumwalt are an advanced automation system that halves the required crew to operate this ship, as well as the U.S. Navy’s brand new railgun, which was recently fired and readied to be attached to this warship.The Zumwalt-class destroyer is a class of United States Navy guided missile destroyers designed as multi-mission stealth ships with a focus on land attack. The class emerged from the previous DD-21 vessel program, previously known as the "DD(X)". The class is multi-role and designed for surface warfare, anti-aircraft warfare, and naval gunfire support. They take the place of battleships in filling the former congressional mandate for naval fire support,[10] though the requirement was reduced to allow them to fill this role. The vessels' appearance has been compared to that of the historic ironclad warship.2. HMS Queen Elizabeth – $9.3 billion
The HMS Queen Elizabeth will be the United Kingdom’s biggest warship, measuring 918 feet in length and 229 feet wide with a capacity of 1,600 personnel. This 65,000 ton aircraft carrier will have a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles without needing to refuel.Similar to the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier, the initial budget of this project ballooned rapidly, resulting in nearly double the cost. Part of the ridiculous price involves the extensive automation required to create a large warship that can be run by only 679 people. Other issues have included delays in the Lightning II stealth bomber aircraft that are supposed to populate the flight deck of the HMS Queen Elizabeth.1. USS Gerald Ford – $13 billion
The most expensive military vehicle in the world is the USS Gerald Ford, an aircraft carrier that is 1,106 feet long and nearly undetectable by radar. This monolithic marvel is capable of launching 220 sorties per day from dual runways and will be populated by 5,000 people, including 4,000 marines and sailors.Costs for this monstrosity ended up going almost three billion dollars over the original estimated budget, mostly due to unforeseen delays and the installation of a plethora of the newest, top secret technology. Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the lead ship of her class of United States Navy supercarriers. It is currently a pre-commissioning unit (PCU) expected to be commissioned into the Navy in 2017. The ship is named after the 38th President of the United States Gerald R. Ford, whose World War II naval service included combat duty aboard the light aircraft carrier Monterey in the Pacific Theater.When the USS Gerald Ford finally emerges into full operations in 2019, the aircraft carrier will be able to deploy weapons up to 25% faster than the previous best performing platform.
0 comments:
Post a Comment