Long recognised as the most comprehensive work available on the subject, this guide remains the only complete reference to the weapons currently employed on US ships, submarines and naval aircraft around the world. It is the only book of its kind to explain the transformation of the US Navy into a network-centric force: a transformation that has had immense consequences for choices of tactics, weapons, services and the systems co-ordinating them. This guide also offers unparalleled coverage of the weapons, sensors and command systems of the world's navies, both those the US Navy works with and those it may have to fight.

Written by one of the world's leading naval analysts, this edition has been completely revised and is newly illustrated. It provides a clear and precise account of how weapons technology has changed to meet the new tactical and strategic challenges facing international naval forces today. Cutting-edge information is found throughout, enhanced by many new and rarely seen photographs and drawings. The book benefits from the flood of material from Russia, whose weapons and systems are now owned and operated by numerous countries and are likely to be sold to many more. It also provides uniquely detailed coverage of weapons developed and deployed in the Far East, an area that promises to be the liveliest scene of naval action in the future. For the most complete and up-to-date information about weapons in every navy in the world, this is the essential resource.

Norman Friedman is the author of numerous books, including Terrorism, Afghanistan, and America's New Way of War and Seapower as Strategy: Navies and National Interest. A resident of New York, he lectures around the world on naval and related military topics and contributes a monthly column analysing world naval developments for Proceedings magazine.