The modern warship is a complex vessel. In the last thirty years the pace of change and development has greatly increased as new technologies, including electronics, missiles, propulsion and hydrodynamics, have been applied to make each ship more effective than its predecessor. As in any form of warfare, there is a constant struggle to upset the balance between attack and defence, and the situation is made more complex by the fact that warships must basically fight in three separate environments: on the surface of the sea, under the surface and in the air above. Here, the reader is presented with a representative sample of modern warships although, in a book this size, it would be impossible to describe every type of warship in use. There are literally hundreds of warship and submarine classes in service today, so some type of selection has been necessary in order to reduce these to manageable proportions. In general, therefore, the most modern and up-to-date vessels are described, although it has been necessary to include some older ships where these have a particular operational significance. For example, many of the current US Navy aircraft carriers are over thirty years old but are still among the most powerful warships in existence. Some other major warship classes are included where they are operationally significant, despite being relatively long in the tooth.
Название: The Vital Guide to Modern Warships
Автор: Leo Marriot
Издательство: AirLife
Серия: The Vital Guide
Год издания: 2001
ISBN: 1-84037-177-3
Язык: english
Страниц: 130 (65x2)
Формат: pdf
Размер: 64.2 MB
