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News18
5 days ago
- Business
- News18
From US's Gerald R Ford To India's INS Vikrant: Countries With Powerful Warships, Naval Prowess
Last Updated: India's INS Vikrant stands among some of the best warships in the world including US's Gerald R Ford and Russia's Admiral Gorshkov-class Frigate. India is among the top five countries in the world with the best warships and maritime strength. INS Vikrant, India's first indigenously built aircraft carrier, signifies a major milestone in naval autonomy. Vikrant stands among some of the best warships in the world including US's Gerald R Ford and Russia's Admiral Gorshkov-class Frigate. Earlier this week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing officers and sailors onboard INS Vikrant off the Goa coast, commended Indian Navy's 'silent service" during Operation Sindoor, India's precision strikes against terror sites in Pakistan. 'Our Western Fleet ships deployed at sea, within 96 hours of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, carried out successful firings of surface-to-surface & surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes on the western & eastern coast. It demonstrated the combat readiness of our platforms, systems & crew and our intent & readiness, forcing the enemy to come into a defensive posture," he said. Warships are central to a nation's maritime dominance and global military projection. In the current geopolitical landscape, certain countries have emerged as leaders in naval power by developing technologically advanced, heavily armed, and strategically capable warships. We asked ChatGPT which of these are among the top warships in the world. Meanwhile, the 2025 Global Firepower rankings also shows navies that dominate the world with their fleet and strength. 1. United States Warship With its key warship USS Gerald R Ford (CVN-78), US Navy holds dominance in naval warfare. It has the largest fleet of aircraft carriers, advanced destroyers, and submarines. The USS Gerald R Ford is known to be the most advanced aircraft carrier in the world, featuring an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), improved radar, and reduced crew requirements. Navy Fleet And Strength The US Navy is widely regarded as the most powerful naval force globally, boasting the largest total tonnage of warships at over 4.16 million tonnes. The US fleet includes 472 ships and submarines, with 64 submarines, 11 aircraft carriers, 75 destroyers, and 23 corvettes. 2. China Warship China boasts of its key warship Type 055 Renhai-class Destroyer. The Type 055 destroyers are among the largest and most heavily armed surface combatants in the world, equipped with 112 vertical launch systems (VLS). China operates three carriers, including the domestically built Fujian (Type 003), with advanced catapult systems. Navy Fleet And Strength China has rapidly modernised its naval fleet and is now the largest navy in terms of ship numbers. In the 2025 Global Firepower ranking, China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ranks second in total tonnage with about 2.86 million tonnes and possesses the largest fleet by number of vessels, totaling around 700 ships. The Chinese fleet includes a significant number of destroyers, frigates, corvettes, and submarines, with the country also investing heavily in aircraft carriers and amphibious warfare ships. 3. Russia Warship Russia's key warships are the Admiral Gorshkov-class Frigate. These multirole warships are designed to replace older Soviet-era vessels and provide the Russian Navy with a highly capable, flexible platform for blue-water and littoral operations. They are equipped with hypersonic missiles like the Zircon, as well as Kalibr cruise missiles. Navy Fleet And Strength Russia maintains a formidable naval presence with a total tonnage of approximately 1.26 million tonnes and a fleet of 419 vessels. It ranks third on the 2025 Global Firepower ranking. Drawing from its Soviet-era strength, Russia continues to innovate with modular frigates and updated missile systems. The Russian Navy's fleet includes nuclear submarines, cruisers, and destroyers, with a focus on strategic deterrence and regional power projection. 4. Japan Warship Japan's Izumo-class Helicopter Destroyer is among the world's top warships. It incorporates cutting-edge US Aegis combat systems, and is being converted to carry F-35B stealth fighters, enhancing Japan's power projection. Originally built to operate rotary-wing aircraft, the Izumo-class can deploy SH-60K Seahawk helicopters for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), MCH-101 for minesweeping and transport, UH-60J for search and rescue missions and AEW (airborne early warning) helicopters in the future. Navy Fleet And Strength Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force ranks fourth in total tonnage with about 770,000 tonnes and fields 155 ships, including 23 submarines and 36 destroyers. Japan's diesel-electric submarines, such as the Soryu and Taigei classes, are among the quietest in the world. 5. India Warship India's INS Vikrant (IAC-1) is the first indigenously built aircraft carrier. Vikrant can carry and operate MiG-29K multirole naval fighters, Kamov Ka-31 airborne early warning helicopters, MH-60R Seahawks for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), HAL Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and potential future indigenous fighters like TEDBF (Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter). Navy Fleet And Strength India ranks fifth in total naval tonnage with 593,603 tonnes and sixth in fleet size with 293 vessels. The Indian Navy is rapidly modernizing, incorporating aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, and submarines. The Visakhapatnam-class destroyers come equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and advanced sensors. With its central position in the Indian Ocean, the Indian Navy plays a crucial role in maritime security in Asia. The strength of a nation's navy is not only measured by the size of its fleet but also by its technological sophistication, strategic doctrine, and global deployment capabilities. While the United States maintains clear supremacy, countries like India and Russia are rapidly evolving. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk More Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : indian navy ins vikrant Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 04, 2025, 08:00 IST News explainers From US's Gerald R Ford To India's INS Vikrant: Countries With Powerful Warships, Naval Prowess
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
See the 2 anti-drone missiles the US Navy is using to defend aircraft carriers
The US Navy is deploying two UAV interceptors to defend its aircraft carriers from drones. Anduril's Roadrunner-M and Raytheon's Coyote are set to launch from destroyers. The move could solve the "cost-curve" problem of firing costly missiles to down cheap drones. The US Navy is arming its warships with two reusable anti-drone interceptors designed to counter aerial threats at a fraction of the cost of traditional missiles. Anduril's Roadrunner-M and Raytheon's Coyote Block 2 interceptors will be launched from Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which will accompany the Navy supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford on its deployment to the Middle East later this year. Amid the rising aerial threat posed by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, the Roadrunner-M and the Coyote are designed to act as expendable and automated interceptors against other drones. They can be airborne when the strike group is in a threatening area and then assigned to an incoming threat that's detected, cutting the response time. The autonomous systems are part of the sea service's efforts to address its "cost-curve problem" of spending far more to defend its fleet from hostile threats than adversaries spent to launch them. The missiles are more expensive than much of the Houthi arsenal, but they still substantially reduce the US Navy's cost of self-defense. Bolstering carrier defenses Earlier this year, the Ford carrier strike group departed its homeport in Norfolk for a routine training exercise ahead of its potential deployment to the US 5th Fleet. The composite training unit exercise was adapted to prepare US forces for the drone fight against Houthi drones and missiles in the Red Sea, putting the anti-drone interceptors to the test. Capt. David Dartez, commander of Carrier Air Wing Eight, told the Norfolk local news station WTKR that a "big example" of the changes includes "a lot of unmanned aircraft and training against those unmanned aircraft." The anti-drone missile interceptors are designed to act as short-range loitering munitions, capable of targeting drones nearly 10 miles away. Raytheon Coyote The Raytheon Coyote Block 2 is an expendable counter-drone aircraft designed for surveillance, electronic warfare, and precision strikes. The small high-speed drone is estimated to cost about $125,000 per unit. The Coyote launches from a small container and deploys wings; it can operate for up to one hour and carry various payloads. The Coyote is propelled by a boost rocket motor and a turbine engine, allowing it to "handle reasonably large accelerations during launch, a critical feature for all tube-launch applications," according to Raytheon." Anduril Roadrunner-M Anduril founder Palmer Luckey described the Roadrunner-Munition as "somewhere between a reusable missile and a full-scale autonomous aircraft." The roughly $500,000 Roadrunner-M, the explosive variant of Anduril's reusable autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV), is purpose-built to detect and target aerial threats. Its twin turbojet engines are capable of vertical take-off and can fast-maneuver to intercept an assigned target, or even circle around until one is acquired and land back on its ship if not. From land to sea The US military has already acquired Roadrunner-M and Coyote drones as part of the Pentagon's push for AI-driven ground-based air defense capabilities. In October, the Defense Department procured over 500 Roadrunner-M interceptors as part of a nearly $250 million contract with Anduril. The US Army has also integrated the Coyote as a crucial component in its counter-UAS strategy, known as the "Low, slow, small, unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System" (LIDS). "Both these systems were originally designed for use over land; however, the US Navy has tested and demonstrated these systems in the maritime environment," Capt. Ronald Flanders, a spokesman for the Navy's research and acquisition department, told Expendable loitering munitions The Roadrunner-M and the Coyote are "both specifically designed to go after UAVs," Navy Adm. Daryl Caudle, head of US Fleet Forces Command, told reporters in March. The anti-drone interceptors add more firepower and magazine capacity to protect high-value naval assets like aircraft carriers without sacrificing larger and more expensive missiles stored in the ship's vertical launchers. Costing from $125,000 to $500,000 per unit, the drone-killers come at a fraction of the cost of the cheapest interceptors with a similar range currently in use by the Navy. The Roadrunner-M is just over half the $920,000 cost of the short-range Rolling Airframe Missile, and it only gets more expensive from there. The medium-range Evolved Sea Sparrow Block 2 interceptor costs about $1.5 million per unit, the longer-range SM-2 missiles carry a price tag of about $2 million, and SM-6 missiles cost over $4 million each. The Navy said in January that nearly 400 munitions, including over 100 SM-2 missiles, 80 SM-6 missiles, and 20 ESSM and SM-3 missiles, had been fired to counter Houthi strikes since October 2023. The Trump administration called off an intensified air war in early May in exchange for a Houthi agreement to cease attacks on shipping. The Navy's 'cost-curve' problem Because multimillion-dollar missiles and other expensive weapon systems are often used as counter-drone defense, the Navy is facing mounting pressure to address its so-called "cost-curve problem." Smaller missiles to counter smaller threats may be only part of a future solution. The UK military is deploying a new laser weapon to four of its ships. Lasers face technical issues at sea but offer the possibility of zapping an unlimited number of threats. Read the original article on Business Insider
Telegraph
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
China's new supercarrier will outgun the entire UK armed forces. It may visit us soon
Satellite imagery reveals construction activity at China's Dalian shipyard that is unmistakably the building of a supercarrier. Add that to analysis from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies that China has built a new prototype naval nuclear reactor and it is clear where this is going. Early images suggest that the new carrier could displace as much as 120,000 tons, which would make it noticeably larger than the USS Gerald R Ford, at 100,000 tons the world's current largest. The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) already has its own version of America's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) on the third Chinese carrier, the Fujian, launched in 2022 and expected to become operational shortly. It appears that the new Type 004 – as it's being called for now – will have four catapults, one more than the Fujian and equivalent to the USS Ford. I'll come back to the importance of size and catapult numbers in a bit. It will likely operate up to 100 aircraft including the J-15 multirole fighter, J-35 stealth fighter, KJ-600 airborne early warning plane, helicopters and GJ-11 Sharp Sword jet drones. Like the Ford and the US Nimitz class before that, it's essentially an entire air force at sea. Before I look at how China might use this ship, let me quickly tackle the two most common carrier myths in circulation right now – just in case the fact that ten or so navies are building them right now, including China, doesn't convince you they're worth having.
