16. M1117 Armored Security Vehicle

Entered Service: 1999
Manufacturer: Textron Marine & Land Systems
Cost: $700,000*
Traveling at fifty miles per hour, the M1117 Guardian, which is also called an ASV (Armored Security Vehicle), gets 475 miles of range. The Guardian has an IBD Modular Expandable Armor System, and it is made by Textron Marine & Land Systems. It has been around since the late nineties, and it is used for the U.S. Military Police.

M1117 Armored Security Vehicle @militaryvehiclesmagazine / Facebook.com
It is equipped with a machine gun, making it no mere cruiser. It stands at 8’5” and is nearly twenty-feet long. The Guardian requires a crew of five people to operate. It is powered by a Cummins 6CTA8.3 engine that gets 260 horsepower.
There is a direct fire support variant to the M1117 Armored Security Vehicle. Demand increased in the early 2010s for a larger weapons system on the same chassis. This would provide the M1117 with fire support and anti-tank capabilities. This new and improved M1117 was released by Textron on October 22, 2013.

17. MQ-1B Predator

Entered Service: 1994
Manufacturer: General Atomics
Cost: $4.03 million*
The MQ-1 Predator, designed by General Atomics, is an RPA that has been used by the USAF and the CIA. The Predator carries sensors, cameras, and other observation technology for aerial reconnaissance. It is also built for war. The Predator has the capacity to carry Lockheed Martin Hellfire missiles and other munitions.
The Predator is often used to monitor tense situations, both domestic and foreign. Civilians can apply for Predator drones for scientific studies, law enforcement, monitoring forest fires, natural disasters, and similar situations. The Predator drones are classified as being “in limited service.” These drones had their first flight in 1994.
The US Air Force has tested the Predator with weapons, considering making a Predator that could drop battlefield ground sensors and carry/deploy a Finder. The Predator has undergone weapons testing since 2001, but the results have been mixed. The accuracy was fine, but the missile fuzing did not go as well.

18. USS Jefferson City

Entered Service: 1992
Manufacturer: Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Cost: $1.56 billion*
The USS Jefferson City is an LA-class-attack submarine. This means that, as part of the Los Angeles class, the USS Jefferson City is a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine. The subs are also called the 688 (Six-Eighty-Eight) class, named after the SSN-668, which is the hull number of the Los Angeles, the class’ lead vessel. The Los Angeles class has two generations.

USS Jefferson City @USNHistory / Twitter.com
It is named for the Missouri capital, Jefferson City, which in and of itself was named for Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. The USS Jefferson City recently left for its six-month deployment, but construction was started on September 21, 1987.
The USS Jefferson City has been docked at the Naval Station in Pearl Harbor, and it was first commissioned, after five years of building, in February of 1992. This deployment comes after its latest tech updates and improvements. It is 362 feet long, and its motto is “When Any Exigence Calls.”

19. USS America LHA-6

Entered Service: 2012
Manufacturer: Huntington Ingalls
Cost: $3.4 billion*
Made with the motto Bello vel pace Paratus, the USS America LHA-6 series is the leading Navy ship of her class. She is the fourth US ship to be named after the country, and she was first delivered to the Navy in 2014. The USS America cost $3.4 billion, and it was built by Huntington Ingalls on its $10.1 billion contract.

USS America @ USNavy / Twitter.com
USS America has increased aviation capacity, and she has more aviation maintenance facilities and stowage capacity. It is similar to the USS Wasp. It was modified to be able to withstand high amounts of heat generated by F-35B planet takeoffs.
Another ship to which the USS America LHA-6 is similar is the USS Makin Island. The LHA-6’s design is based on the Makin Island. However, the LHA-6 has some very noticeable differences. Mainly, she has no well deck and smaller medical spaces in order to make room for more aviation facilities.

20. Oshkosh M-ATV

Entered Service: 2009
Manufacturer: Oshkosh Corporation
Cost: $13.9 million*
Another Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle is the Oshkosh M-ATV. It was developed as part of the MRAP All-Terrain program, and it was designed to replace M1114 HMMWVs. It produces the same level of armored protection as other MRAPs; it just moves faster and is more agile.

Oshkosh M-ATV @ Future Weapons / Facebook.com
It has a load capacity of 4,000 pounds, and it has an operational range of 320 miles. The ATV is almost nine feet tall, and it is powered by a 7.2L Caterpillar C7 turbo-diesel engine. The armor is Plasan-composite. Around 10,000 have been built since the program’s inception, with many more to come.
In 2015, Oshkosh announced a new variation, called the 6×6. This vehicle has six wheels.it was designed to have greater transport potential, with the capability to transport eight to twelve troops and three crew members. The M-ATV 6×6 also has greater payload capacity and off-roading capabilities, combining the independent suspension and all-wheel steer.

21. VH-71 Kestrel

Entered Service: 2007
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
Cost: $241 million*
The Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel was manufactured in conjunction with AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter. It had its first flight in 2007, but the project was canceled in 2009 because of the high cost ($13 billion for 28 Kestrels). The Lockheed Martin plane was initially made to replace the Marine One Presidential Transport Fleet.

VH-71 Kestrel @FASTmuseum / Twitter.com
The USMC Martin One was marketed as the US101 before Lockheed Martin took over. Later, Lockheed argued, after cancelation, that the reason the price was so high was because the government kept demanding unanticipated and excessive modifications, none of which were present in the initial RFP.
Currently, the US101/Martin One is in the running for two new USAF contracts. One is the 141-aircraft CSAR-X project (combat search and rescue), which Boeing initially won with its HH-47 but lost for unclear reasons shortly after. The second competition is the CVLSP (common vertical life support program), which calls for seventy aircraft.

22. USS Greeneville

Entered Service: 1994
Manufacturer: Newport News Shipbuilding
Cost: $1 billion*
Named after Greeneville, Tennessee, the USS Greeneville is the only ship of her class to have been named after Greeneville. The USS Greeneville is used by the Navy, and it was commissioned in 1996. It was docked at Pearl Harbor, where it sat at Dry Dock #1. The ship is 362 feet long.

USS Greeneville @USPacificFleet / Twitter.com
Its motto is “Volunteers Defending Frontiers.” It is armed with two-foot-long torpedo tubes and a dozen Tomahawk missiles. The ship is currently in active service. It gets 6,000 tons of displacement. The USS Greeneville made heartwarming headlines recently when its crew went to visit the city after which it was named.
She was named after the home of Andrew Johnson, the seventeenth US president. She won the name after residents of Greenville, including local individuals and businesses like Greeneville Metal Manufacturing, which makes submarine equipment, began campaigning for the submarine to not be named after a large city, but instead to be named after a small town.

23. Su-27 Flanker

Entered Service: 1977
Manufacturer: Sukhoi
Cost: $41.2 million*
Designed by Sukhoi to compete with the U.S. fourth-gen fighters like the F-15 Eagle and F-14 Tomcat, the Su-27 is a twin-engine fighter jet that is supermaneuverable. The jet is designed for air superiority, and its other variants can perform pretty much any aerial warfare operation. The Soviet Union requested the Su-27 in 1977. Its introduction came eight years later.

Su-27 Flanker @milairpix / Twitter.com
AFLT did not disappoint. The Su-27 was given the NATO reporting name Flanker. The Flanker has had multiple variants, such as the 30, 33, 34, 35, 37, and J-11. The Shenyang J-11 is a licensed Chinese-built version of the Su-27.
The Sukhoi Last Flanker is the latest development to come from Sukhoi Flanker. The improved variation of the Flanker has new thrust-vectoring AL-41F1S engines, N035 Irbis-E radar, reduced radar cross section, and new avionics. Since the Su-35/Last Flanker, only Ukraine has completed any new modifications or upgrades, all of which were done on the Su-27.

24. USS Columbia

Entered Service: 1995
Manufacturer: General Dynamics Electric Boat
Cost: $14.5 billion*
The USS Columbia is the sixtieth LA-class attack submarine. It is the eighth ship to have the Columbia name. It was constructed from 1993 until 1994. The 362-foot-long submarine was commissioned in October of 1995. Its motto is “Preserving Freedom on the Seas.”

USS Columbia @seawaves_mag / Twitter.com
The USS Columbia is flight-improved, meaning it can support planes. It carries four floatplanes on it. The lightweight versions of the Columbia were sold for scrap after being used during WWII. The new LA-class is being given an update. The USS Columbia, according to the Navy, will have the most comprehensive upgrade ever next year.
The upgraded USS Columbia SSBN-826 was named on December 14, 2016 by Ray Mabus, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy. The ballistic US Navy missile submarine is going to be the leader of the Columbia class. It also will have the distinction of being the first Navy vessel named after Washington D.C.

25. F-35A Lightning II

Entered Service: 2015
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Cost: $77-$101 million*
The F-35 Lightning II is a group of single-engine, single-eat, all-weather multirole combat planes that perform both strike mission and air superiority. The Lightning II also provides intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, and electronic warfare. Lockheed Martin is the primary contractor on the F-35.

F-35A Lightning II @Defence_blog / Twitter.com
Lockheed is joined by BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman in the program, which is projected to cost $1.196 trillion throughout 2077. The aircraft is a descendant of the X-35.
The project is partially funded by NATO and close allies to the US, including the UK, Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Italy. There are three major Lightning variants: the F-35A, 35B, and 35C.

26. Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV)

Entered Service: 1990
Manufacturer: General Dynamics
Cost: $22.3 million*
Originally designed by General Dynamics to replace the Marines’ previous amphibious transportation vehicle, the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle redefined land-and-air combat for America’s military. Though discontinued in 2011, several EFVs are active in the Marine Corps’ fleet.

Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle @Chris Streckfus / flickr.com
The EFV’s origins date all the way back to the late 1970s, finally achieving funding and a defense department greenlight in the mid-90s. It took another half-decade to complete productions and tests. But the effort was worth the wait: a single EFV can transport an entire squad of Marines safely and securely through both land and water.

27. Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion

Entered Service: 2015
Manufacturer: Sikorsky Aircraft
Cost: $95 million*
The Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion is in use by the Marine Corps, and the Stallion is a heavy-lift copter that is still under development. It is in production after its first test flight in 2015. The total program cost is $25.34 billion. Sikorsky Aircraft designed the copter for cargo transport.

Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion © VanderWolf Images / Shutterstock
It has a wider aircraft area than is seen on the CH-53 planes, which are its other variants. The copter has three heavy-duty 7,500shp engines. It also has new and improved composite rotor blades for faster speed. It had its first test flight in West Palm Beach, Florida’s military base.

28. M1A2 Abrams

Entered Service: 1980
Manufacturer: General Dynamics Land Systems
Cost: $6.21 million*
The M1 Abrams is a massive military tank that has been in use since the 1980s. This tank was developed by what was then called Chrysler Defense which is now titled General Dynamics Land Systems. It is one of the heaviest tanks the US uses, weighing in at sixty-two metric tons.

M1A2 Abrams © Karolis Kavolelis / Shutterstock
It was named after famed General Creighton Abrams. The M1A2 replaced the good old M60 tank. It is used by the Army and Marines, and it has features such as a multi fuel turbine engine, Chobham armor, fire control systems, and a blowout compartment. It also has NBC protection for safety.

29. MQ-9 Reaper

Entered Service: 2007
Manufacturer: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
Cost: $64.2 million*
Designed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the MQ-9 Reaper is also called the Predator 2. The Reaper is a crewless aerial vehicle designed for long-endurance surveillance from high altitudes. 163 have been built since 2014, with a total program cost of $11.8 billion.

Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone © Michael Fitzsimmons / Shutterstock
The Reaper differs from other Predators in the lineup because it is bigger, heavier, and can do more. It still uses the same ground control systems as the other MQs, but it has 950 shaft horsepower engines. It can carry fifteen times more than other Predators. It was first used by the New York National Guard.

30. Saab JAS 39 Gripen

Entered Service: 1988
Manufacturer: Saab
Cost: $45-$55 million*
Made by Saab, a Swedish company, the Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a single-engine, lightweight multi-role fighter aircraft. The Gripen (in English, Griffin) has a canard configuration and delta wing with relaxed stability. The flight controls are all fly-by-wire. The engine of the Gripen is a Volvo RM12.

Saab JAS 39 Gripen @RoyalAirForce / Twitter.com
Later on, these SAABF planes would be modified to meet NATO interoperability regulations. The Gripen was first designed in the late seventies, when the Swedish government wanted to create an aircraft that could fight, attack, and perform reconnaissance missions. The Gripen had its first flight in 1988, and it was introduced to the SAF in 1996.