Anti-submarine missile

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An anti-submarine missile is a standoff anti-submarine weapon. Often a variant of anti-ship missile designs, an anti-submarine systems typically use a jet or rocket engine, to deliver an explosive warhead aimed directly at a submarine, a depth charge, or a homing torpedo that is carried from a launch ship, or other platform, to the vicinity of a target.

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Ikara, an Australian-designed missile used by several navies between the 1960s and 1990s; a rocket-parachute delivery system carried an acoustic torpedo up to 10 nautical miles (19 km) after launch. A variant re-designed in the UK and used by the Royal Navy could deliver a nuclear depth charge. Ikara missile.JPG
Ikara, an Australian-designed missile used by several navies between the 1960s and 1990s; a rocket-parachute delivery system carried an acoustic torpedo up to 10 nautical miles (19 km) after launch. A variant re-designed in the UK and used by the Royal Navy could deliver a nuclear depth charge.
The Malafon, used by the French Navy between 1966 and 1997, used a rocket-assisted glider to carry a torpedo up to 8 nautical miles (13 km) after launch. Maille-Braize-14.jpg
The Malafon, used by the French Navy between 1966 and 1997, used a rocket-assisted glider to carry a torpedo up to 8 nautical miles (13 km) after launch.

History

Depth charges were the earliest weapons designed for use by ships against submerged submarines. These explosives were initially dropped as the ship moved over the presumed location of a submarine. Before World War II, shipboard sonar was unable to maintain contact with a submarine at close range.

Various mortar-type projectors, including Hedgehog and Squid, were devised during World War II to allow a ship to maintain sonar contact while lobbing explosive charges toward the submarine. [1]

During the Cold War, missiles were developed to provide greater range with reduced recoil. Some missiles and rockets, such as Red Shark carry homing torpedoes to provide terminal guidance for the warhead. [2]

The advantage of an anti-submarine missile is the attack stand-off range. The Swedish Bofors 375mm m/50 Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) rockets, in the past commonly used by Sweden, France, Japan and Germany for instance, can travel as far as 3600m depending on the rocket used. [3] The USSR developed its own anti-submarine rockets in the RBU series and these are still in use in Russia and in countries using Russian designed ships. Today anti-submarine rockets have been phased out in most western navies, replaced by the Homing ASW Torpedo.

Examples

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Depth charge</span> Anti-submarine weapon

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarines by detonating in the water around the target and subjecting it to a destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use high explosives with a fuze set to detonate the charge, typically at a specific depth from the surface. Depth charges can be dropped by ships, patrol aircraft and helicopters.

The Mark 24 Tigerfish was a heavyweight acoustic homing torpedo used by the Royal Navy (RN) during the 1980s and 90s. Conceptual development dates to the mid-1950s, and formally started in 1959 with a target introduction date in 1969. A lengthy development process led to a greatly reduced performance requirement, including the removal of anti-surface capabilities. The first prototype "Tiger Fish" examples were delivered in 1967.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hedgehog (weapon)</span> 1940s shipboard multi-barrel anti-submarine mortar weapon of British origin

The Hedgehog was a forward-throwing anti-submarine weapon that was used primarily during the Second World War. The device, which was developed by the Royal Navy, fired up to 24 spigot mortars ahead of a ship when attacking a U-boat. It was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers and corvettes to supplement the depth charges.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ikara (missile)</span> Anti-submarine missile

The Ikara missile was an Australian ship-launched anti-submarine missile, named after an Australian Aboriginal word for "throwing stick". It launched an acoustic torpedo to a range of 10 nautical miles (19 km), allowing fast-reaction attacks against submarines at ranges that would otherwise require the launching ship to close for attack, placing itself at risk. By flying to a distant target, the engagement time was dramatically shorter than provided by short-range weapons, giving the target less time to respond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-submarine weapon</span> Weapon to be used in anti-submarine warfare

An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapon is usually a projectile, missile or bomb that is optimized to destroy submarines.

Anti-submarine mortars are artillery pieces deployed on ships for the purpose of sinking submarines by a direct hit with a small explosive charge. They are often larger versions of the mortar used by infantry and fire a projectile in relatively the same manner. They were created during World War II as a development of the depth charge and work on the same principle.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-submarine warfare</span> Branch of naval warfare

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear depth bomb</span> Nuclear weapon for use underwater

A nuclear depth bomb is the nuclear equivalent of a conventional depth charge, and can be used in anti-submarine warfare for attacking submerged submarines. The Royal Navy, Soviet Navy, and United States Navy had nuclear depth bombs in their arsenals at one point.

The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is the naval branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the armed forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLAN force consists of approximately 250,000 men and over a hundred major combat vessels, organized into three fleets: the North Sea Fleet, the East Sea Fleet, and the South Sea Fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metel Anti-Ship Complex</span> Anti-submarine/ship missile

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The CY-1 is a Chinese anti-submarine rocket carried on a variety of surface platforms, including the Luda class missile destroyers and Jiangwei class missile frigates. A series of CY ASW missiles have been developed based on CY-1. To date only a small number of CY-1 is known to have been produced and deployed on trial basis, despite the fact that it had first appeared on the defense exhibitions held in China in the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UUM-44 SUBROC</span> United States Navy nuclear warhead anti-submarine rocket (1964–1989)

The UUM-44 SUBROC was a type of submarine-launched rocket deployed by the United States Navy as an anti-submarine weapon. It carried a 250 kiloton thermonuclear warhead configured as a nuclear depth bomb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RUR-4 Weapon Alpha</span> Standoff anti-submarine rocket

The RUR-4 "Weapon Alpha" was an American naval ahead-throwing anti-submarine warfare (ASW) rocket launcher. It was designed between 1946 and 1949, and was installed on warships from 1951 to 1969. Unlike depth charges, it was designed to attack enemy submarines without requiring the attacking ship to be located directly above the submarine being attacked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SMART (missile)</span> Long range anti submarine missile

SMART is a canister-based, long-range anti-submarine missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Navy.

References

  1. Hughes, Terry, and Costello, John The Battle of the Atlantic (1977) Dial Press ISBN   0-8037-6454-2 pp.307-308
  2. Albrecht, Gerhard Weyer's Warships of the World (1969) United States Naval Institute p.385
  3. "Forecast International: Intelligence Center".