Mark 48 torpedo | |
---|---|
Technicians perform maintenance on a Mark 48 torpedo in 1982. | |
Type | Heavyweight dual-purpose ASW and ASuW torpedo |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1972–present (Mod 1) [1] 1988–present (ADCAP) 2008–present Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) |
Used by | United States Navy Brazilian Navy Royal Australian Navy Royal Canadian Navy Royal Netherlands Navy Republic of China Navy |
Production history | |
Designer | Gould, Inc. [1] Naval Surface Warfare Center |
Designed | 1967 [1] |
Manufacturer | Gould/Honeywell (Mod 1) Hughes Aircraft (ADCAP) Westinghouse Naval Systems Cleveland Ohio |
Unit cost | $894,000 (1978 USD) [2] $3,500,000 (ADCAP) (1988) [3] $3,800,000 (CBASS)(2005 USD) [4] $5.39m (2022) [5] |
Specifications | |
Mass | 3,434 lb (1,558 kg) (original), 3,695 lb (1,676 kg) (ADCAP) |
Length | 19 ft (5.8 m) [6] |
Diameter | 21 in (530 mm) [6] |
Effective firing range | 38 km (24 mi; 21 nmi) at 55 kn (102 km/h; 63 mph) or 50 km (31 mi; 27 nmi) at 40 kn (74 km/h; 46 mph) (estimated), [6] [7] officially "greater than 5 miles [4.3 nmi; 8.0 km]" |
Warhead | high explosive plus unused fuel |
Warhead weight | 647 lb (293 kg) [6] |
Detonation mechanism | proximity fuze |
Engine | swash-plate piston engine; pump jet |
Propellant | Otto fuel II |
Maximum depth | 500 fathoms, [6] 800 m (2,600 ft) (estimated), [7] officially "greater than 1,200 ft" [8] |
Maximum speed | 55 kn (63 mph; 102 km/h) [6] (estimated) [7] officially "greater than 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph)" |
Guidance system | Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System |
Launch platform | Submarine |
The Mark 48 and its improved Advanced Capability (ADCAP) variant are American heavyweight submarine-launched torpedoes. They were designed to sink deep-diving nuclear-powered submarines and high-performance surface ships.
The Mark 48 was initially developed as REsearch TORpedo Concept II (RETORC II), one of several weapons recommended for implementation by Project Nobska, a 1956 summer study on submarine warfare. [9] The Mk-48 torpedo was designed at the end of the 1960s to keep up with the advances in Soviet submarine technology. Operational since 1972, it replaced the Mk-37, Mk-14 and Mk-16 torpedoes as the principal weapon of U.S. Navy submarines. [3] With the entry into service of the new Soviet Alfa-class submarine in 1977, the decision was made to accelerate the ADCAP program, which would bring significant modifications to the torpedo. Tests were run to ensure that the weapon could keep up with the developments and the weapon was modified with improved acoustics and electronics. The new version of the weapon, also known as Mk-48 Mod 5, was extensively tested and production started in 1985, with entry into service in 1988. From then on, various upgrades have been added to the torpedo. As of 2012 [update] Mk-48 Mod 6 was in service; a Mod 7 version was test fired in 2008 in Exercise RIMPAC. The inventory of the U.S. Navy in 2001 was 1,046 Mk-48 torpedoes. [7] In 2017 Lockheed's production was approximately 50 per year. [10]
The Mk-48 torpedo is designed to be launched from submarine torpedo tubes. The weapon is carried by all U.S. Navy submarines, including Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines and Seawolf-, Los Angeles-, and Virginia-class attack submarines. It is also used on Canadian, Australian, and Dutch submarines.
Mk-48 and Mk-48 ADCAP torpedoes can be guided from a submarine by wires attached to the torpedo. They can also use their own active or passive sensors to execute programmed target search, acquisition, and attack procedures. The torpedo is designed to detonate under the keel of a surface ship, breaking the keel and destroying its structural integrity. In the event of a miss, it can circle back for another attempt. [11]
The swashplate piston engine is fueled by Otto fuel II, a monopropellant which combusts to drive the engine. The thrust is generated by a propulsor assembly.
The torpedo's seeker has an active electronically steered "pinger" (2D phased array sonar) that helps avoid having to maneuver as it approaches the target. Unconfirmed reports[ by whom? ] indicate that the torpedo's sensors can monitor surrounding electrical and magnetic fields. This may refer to the electromagnetic coils on the warhead (at least from 1977 to 1981), used to sense the metallic mass of the ship's hull and detonate at the proper stand-off distance.
The torpedo has been the subject of continued improvement over its service lifetime. In the 1990s, a Mod 6 variant of the ADCAP provided much improved noise isolation for the engine, which makes this torpedo more difficult to detect for a potential target.
The Mk48 Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) torpedo is optimized for both the deep and littoral waters and has advanced counter-countermeasure capabilities. The MK48 ADCAP Mod 7 (CBASS) torpedo is the result of a Joint Development Program with the Royal Australian Navy and reached Initial Operational Capability in 2006. [8] The modular Mod 7 variant increases sonar bandwidth, enabling it to transmit and receive pings over a wider frequency band, taking advantage of broadband signal processing techniques to greatly improve search, acquisition, and attack effectiveness. This version is much more resistant to enemy countermeasures. [12]
On July 25, 2008 a MK 48 Mod 7 CBASS torpedo fired by an Australian Collins-class submarine, HMAS Waller, successfully sank a test target during the Rim of the Pacific 2008 (RIMPAC) exercises. [13] [14]
In 2015 the USN announced plans to restart production and seek a more modular design. [15] Lockheed Martin is to upgrade existing Mark 48s to include a new guidance-control system known as the Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS), in addition to improving propulsion and resistance to electronic countermeasures. [16]
Starting in 2003, the US Navy began the Stealth Torpedo Enhancement Program which aims to upgrade the capability of the existing Mk 48 design by implementing alternative fuel sources including electric fuel cells, and a "swim out" capability, a capability that allows a torpedo to leave the tube under its own power without using a torpedo tube's noisier compressed air launch system. The program is ongoing, with many details yet classified. [17]
The Los Angeles class of submarines are nuclear-powered fast attack submarines (SSN) in service with the United States Navy. Also known as the 688 class after the hull number of lead vessel USS Los Angeles (SSN-688), 62 were built from 1972 to 1996, the latter 23 to an improved 688i standard. As of 2024, 24 of the Los Angeles class remain in commission—more than any other class in the world—and they account for almost half of the U.S. Navy's 50 fast attack submarines.
The Sturgeon class was a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines (SSN) in service with the United States Navy from the 1960s until 2004. They were the "workhorses" of the Navy's attack submarine fleet throughout much of the Cold War. The boats were phased out in the 1990s and early 21st century, as their successors, the Los Angeles, followed by the Seawolf and Virginia-class boats, entered service.
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.
The Spearfish torpedo is the heavy torpedo used by the submarines of the Royal Navy. It can be guided by wire or by autonomous active or passive sonar, and provides both anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) capability. Spearfish development began in the 1970s, with production starting in 1988, and deployment in 1992. By 2004, the new weapon had completely replaced the older Tigerfish torpedo.
HMCS Victoria is a long-range hunter-killer (SSK) submarine of the Royal Canadian Navy, the lead ship of her class. She is named after the city of Victoria, British Columbia. She was purchased from the Royal Navy, and is the former HMS Unseen (S41). The class was also renamed from the Upholder class.
HMAS Farncomb is the second of six Collins-class submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Named for Rear Admiral Harold Farncomb, the submarine was laid down in 1993 and launched in December 1995—the first submarine to be completely constructed in Australia. A combination of factors led to Farncomb being the only vessel of her class in operational condition in mid-2009.
HMAS Waller is the third of six Collins-class submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
HMAS Sheean is the fifth of six Collins-class submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The Permit-class submarine was a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines in service with the United States Navy from the early 1960s until 1996. They were a significant improvement on the Skipjack class, with greatly improved sonar, diving depth, and silencing. They were the forerunners of all subsequent US Navy SSN designs. They served from the 1960s through to the early 1990s, when they were decommissioned due to age. They were followed by the Sturgeon and Los Angeles classes.
USS Fletcher (DD-992), the thirtieth Spruance-class destroyer, was part of the first major class of United States Navy surface ships to be powered by gas turbines. She was commissioned in July 1980 and was deployed mainly in the western and southern Pacific, but also voyaged to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. She was the second ship in the U.S. Navy to bear this name but the first to be named after Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. After her decommissioning in 2004, she was sunk in a torpedo test exercise in 2008.
The Halifax-class frigate, also referred to as the City class, is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Royal Canadian Navy since 1992. The class is the outcome of the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project, which dates to the mid-1970s. HMCS Halifax was the first of an eventual twelve Canadian-designed and Canadian-built vessels which combine traditional anti-submarine capabilities with systems to deal with surface and air threats as well. Ships of the class are named after capital cities of Canadian provinces, the capital of Canada, Ottawa, and the major cities of Calgary, Montreal, and Vancouver.
The RUM-139 Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket is an anti-submarine missile in the ASROC family, currently built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Navy.
HMCS Vancouver is a Halifax-class frigate, of the Royal Canadian Navy launched on 8 July 1989, as the second vessel of her class. She is based at CFB Esquimalt on the west coast of Canada, and is the third vessel to be named after Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo is a standard 12.75-inch (324 mm) anti-submarine warfare (ASW) torpedo used by the United States Navy.
The Sting Ray is a British acoustic homing lightweight torpedo (LWT) manufactured by GEC-Marconi, who were later bought out by BAE Systems. It entered service in 1983.
The AN/SLQ-25 Nixie and its variants are towed torpedo decoys used on US and allied warships. It consists of a towed decoy device (TB-14A) and a shipboard signal generator. The Nixie is capable of defeating wake-homing, acousting-homing, and wire-guided torpedoes. The decoy emits signals to draw a torpedo away from its intended target.
The California class was a pair of nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers operated by the United States Navy between 1974 and 1998. Other than their nuclear power supply and lack of helicopter hangars, ships of the California class were comparable to other guided-missile cruisers of their era, such as the Belknap class. The class was built as a follow-up to the nuclear-powered Long Beach, Bainbridge, and Truxtun classes. Like all of the nuclear cruisers, which could steam for years between refuelings, the California class was designed in part to provide high endurance escort for the navy's nuclear aircraft carriers, which were often limited in range due to their conventionally powered escorts continuously needing to be refueled.
The Rothesay class, or Type 12M frigates were a class of frigates serving with the Royal Navy, South African Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy.
The Mark 37 torpedo is a torpedo with electrical propulsion, developed for the US Navy after World War II. It entered service with the US Navy in the early 1950s, with over 3,300 produced. It was phased out of service with the US Navy during the 1970s, and the stockpiles were sold to foreign navies.
Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 (HSM-73) is a United States Navy Maritime Strike helicopter squadron based on Naval Air Station North Island, California.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)An Australian submarine has fired a new heavy torpedo for the first time and sunk a US warship. But, rest easy, the dramatic event was part of an exercise and not a sudden deterioration in relations with the US. [...] The new heavyweight torpedo, jointly developed by Australia and the US, was fired yesterday during the Rim of the Pacific 2008 (RIMPAC 08) exercise. Multiple navies are taking part in the exercise off the coast of Hawaii, which featured the planned sinking of a retired US warship. The MK 48 Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) torpedo is considered the world's premier submarine-launched torpedo.
Defense contractor Lockheed Martin is upgrading existing Mark 48s to a new standard. A new, upgraded torpedo will run quieter, have an improved propulsion system, be more resistant to electronic countermeasures, and have an all-new guidance control system known as Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System, or CBASS. The new system should allow for locking onto enemy vessels at even longer ranges. In addition to upgrading older torpedoes, Lockheed will deliver 250 more brand new Mark 48s to the U.S. Navy.