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 | |
| Weight | 1,300 pounds (590 kg) |
| Length | 15 ft (4.7 m) |
| Diameter | 14.2 inches (360 mm) |
|
| |
| Engine | Solid fuel rocket in initial stage, ramjet for rest of trajectory |
| Wingspan | 36 inches (910 mm) |
Operational range | 31 mi (50 km) |
| 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
- 1 2 3 4 Friedman 2006, pp.534
- 1 2 Braucksick 2004
- 1 2 Parsch and Caston 2006
- ↑ Goebel 2010
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 3 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. 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
- 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.