MA-31
MA-31 | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Type | Target drone |
Place of origin | Russia United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1996-2007 |
Used by | United States Navy |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Boeing, Zvezda-Strela |
Specifications | |
Mass | 1,300 pounds (590 kg) |
Length | 15 ft (4.7 m) |
Diameter | 14.2 inches (360 mm) |
Wingspan | 36 inches (910 mm) |
Engine | Solid fuel rocket in initial stage, ramjet for rest of trajectory |
Operational range | 31 mi (50 km) |
Maximum speed | Mach 3.5 |
Launch platform | F-4 Phantom II |
The MA-31 was a conversion of the Kh-31 anti-ship missile, developed by the Soviet Union during the 1980s, for use as a target drone by the United States Navy. Although the missile proved successful in this role, political complications resulted in the type being only an interim solution, and only a small number of the missiles were acquired.
Kh-31 development
The Kh-31 missile was developed by Zvezda-Strela in the Soviet Union starting in 1977 for service as a long-range anti-ship missile and anti-radiation missile, first being flown in 1982.[1] Derived from the P-270 Moskit missile,[1] the Kh-31 is conventional in shape, and has cruciform fins made from titanium,[2] with a rocket-ramjet propulsion system providing thrust.[1]
MA-31 history
Following the cancellation of the AQM-127 SLAT target drone program, a requirement for a new high-speed target to replace the MQM-8 Vandal still existed.[3] In an unusual turn of events, the U.S. Navy chose to acquire examples of the Kh-31 missile - the actual threat the drone was intended to simulate[3] - as an interim solution pending the development of an all-new design.[4] In 1995, a contract was awarded to McDonnell Douglas for evaluation of the Kh-31 in the Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target role.[1]
An initial small batch of missiles were acquired,[5] being delivered from the manufacturer as "green" shells, without electronics,[6] to Boeing, which had acquired McDonnell Douglas, in the US for modification and conversion to U.S. Navy standards, including the installation of tracking, telemetry and range-safety systems.[7] The MA-31 was equipped for launch from the QF-4 Phantom II aircraft, and it was proposed to develop a compatible launcher for the F-16N Fighting Falcon.[2]
Designated MA-31 in US service, the first launch of the missile took place in August 1996.[7] Evaluated against an improved MQM-8, the MA-31 proved superior and a contract for 34 production missiles was placed in 1999.[8]
At this point, politics intervened in the process, with the Russian Duma refusing export clearance for the missiles.[5] Boeing proposed a further-modified version of the missile, with improved guidance and longer range,[7] however the MA-31 program went no further, and the last missiles in the U.S. Navy's inventory were expended in 2007.[9]
The Navy would finally receive a definitive Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target, replacing the MA-31 and the MQM-8, in the form of the GQM-163 Coyote, which entered service during 2007.[10]
References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d Friedman 2006, pp.534
- ^ a b Braucksick 2004
- ^ a b Parsch and Caston 2006
- ^ Goebel 2010
- ^ a b Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Aerial Targets, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, pp. 10, 56
- ^ Smith 2004, p.61.
- ^ a b c Parsch 2008
- ^ Contracts for Thursday, December 16, 1999, US Department of Defense, 1999-12-16
- ^ Buckley 2007
- ^ Parsch 2007
- Bibliography
- Braucksick, Ken (2004-11-17), MA-31 Target Vehicle OVERVIEW, NDIA, archived from the original on 2011-05-22
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suggested) (help). Sales pitch from Boeing, has useful diagrams of flight profiles etc - Buckley, Capt. Pat (2007-10-31), U.S. Navy Aerial Target Systems (Presented to 45th Annual NDIA Symposium) (PDF), US Navy, archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-22
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suggested) (help) - Goebel, Greg (2010). "Modern US Target Drones". Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. vectorsite.net. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- Friedman, Norman (2006), The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems (5th ed.), Naval Institute Press, ISBN 978-1-55750-262-9
- Parsch, Andreas; Craig Caston (2006). "Martin Marietta AQM-127 SLAT". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- Parsch, Andreas (2007). "Orbital Sciences GQM-163 Coyote". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- Parsch, Andreas (2008). "Boeing/Zvezda-Strela MA-31". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- Smith, Charles Robinson (2004). Deception: How Clinton Sold America Out To The Chinese Military. Columbus, OH: Pine Lake Media. ISBN 0-9761168-0-4.