Nulka

A Nulka decoy being launched from a warship

Nulka is an Australian designed and developed active missile decoy built by an Australian/American collaboration. Used aboard warships of the United States Navy (USN), Royal Australian Navy (RAN), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Canadian Forces, Nulka is a rocket propelled, disposable, offboard, active decoy designed to seduce anti-ship missiles away from their targets. It has a unique design in that it hovers in mid air while seducing the incoming anti-ship missile. The hovering rocket concept was initiated in Australia by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), and the system was designed, developed and then manufactured by AWA Defence Industries (AWADI) (now BAE Systems Australia). The word "Nulka" is of Australian Aboriginal origin and means "be quick".

The Nulka consists of the missile itself enclosed in a hermetically sealed canister. This canister is then contained in a Launcher module (as fitted to RAN and USCG vessels), or a Mark 36 launcher (as fitted to USN vessels).

As of October 2010^[update] Nulka had been fitted to more than 130 Australian, Canadian and United States warships and over 1,000 decoys had been produced. At this time it was expected that the system would be fitted to US Navy's Nimitz-class aircraft carriers as well as Australia's future destroyers. This made the system Australia's most successful defence export.^[1]

Notes

1. ^ "One Thousand Rounds of Applause For Nulka". BAE Systems. 2010-10-19. http://www.baesystems.com/Newsroom/NewsReleases/autoGen_11091991246.html. Retrieved 2011-07-13. 

References

• "MK-53 Nulka Decoy Launching System (DLS)". Federation of American Scientists. http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/weaps/mk-53.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-22. 
• "SEA 1397 - Project Nulka". Defence Materiel Organisation. http://www.defence.gov.au/dmo/esd/sea1397/sea1397.cfm. Retrieved 2008-11-22.