Mark 46 torpedo
Encyclopedia
Designed to attack high-performance submarines, the Mark 46 torpedo
is the backbone of the U.S. Navy's lightweight ASW
torpedo inventory, and is the current NATO standard. These aerial torpedo
es, such as the Mark 46 Mod 5, are expected to remain in service until the year 2015. In 1989, a major upgrade program for the Mod 5 began to improve its shallow-water performance, resulting in the Mod 5A and Mod 5A(S).
is said to be based on the Mk 46 mod 2. Currently the Chinese navy use the Yu-7 primarily as an ASW torpedo, deployed on ships and ASW helicopters.
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
is the backbone of the U.S. Navy's lightweight ASW
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
torpedo inventory, and is the current NATO standard. These aerial torpedo
Aerial torpedo
The aerial torpedo, airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo is a naval weapon, the torpedo, designed to be dropped into water from an aircraft after which it propels itself to the target. First used in World War I, air-dropped torpedoes were used extensively in World War II, and remain in limited...
es, such as the Mark 46 Mod 5, are expected to remain in service until the year 2015. In 1989, a major upgrade program for the Mod 5 began to improve its shallow-water performance, resulting in the Mod 5A and Mod 5A(S).
General characteristics, Mark 46 Mod 5
- Primary Function: Air and ship-launched lightweight torpedo
- Contractor: Alliant TechsystemsAlliant TechsystemsAlliant Techsystems Inc., most commonly known by its ticker symbol, ', is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the United States with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and 2010 revenues in excess of an estimated...
- Power Plant: Two-speed, reciprocating external combustion; Mono-propellant (Otto fuel IIOtto fuel IIOtto fuel II is a monopropellant used to drive torpedoes and other weapon systems. It is not related to the Otto cycle.-Properties:This distinct-smelling, reddish-orange, oily liquid is a mixture of three synthetic substances: propylene glycol dinitrate , 2-nitrodiphenylamine, and dibutyl...
) - Length: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) tube launch configuration (from ship), 14 ft 9 in (4.5 m) with ASROCASROCASROC is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed on over 200 USN surface ships, specifically cruisers, destroyers, and frigates...
rocket booster - Weight: 508 lb (231 kg) (warshot configuration)
- Diameter: 12.75 in (324 mm)
- Range: 12,000 yd (11 km)
- Depth: > 1,200 ft (365 m)
- Speed: > 40 knots (46 mph, 74 km/h)
- Guidance System: Homing mode: Active or
passive/active acoustic homing - Launch/search mode: Snake or circle search
- Warhead: 96.8 lb (44 kg) of PBXN-103Polymer-bonded explosiveA polymer-bonded explosive, also called PBX or plastic-bonded explosive, is an explosive material in which explosive powder is bound together in a matrix using small quantities of a synthetic polymer...
high explosive (bulk charge) - Date Deployed: 1967 (Mod 0); 1979 (Mod 5)
Yu-7 Torpedo
The Chinese Yu-7 torpedoYu-7 torpedo
Yu-7 torpedo is the Chinese development of the US Mk 46 Mod. 2 light ASW torpedo incorporating technologies of the A244-S torpedo. Many domestic Chinese sources have considered Yu-7 torpedo as the Chinese equivalent of US Mk 46 Mod...
is said to be based on the Mk 46 mod 2. Currently the Chinese navy use the Yu-7 primarily as an ASW torpedo, deployed on ships and ASW helicopters.
See also
- CAPTOR mineCAPTOR mineThe CAPTOR is the United States Navy's primary anti-submarine naval mine. This deep-water mine is laid by ship, aircraft or submarine, and is anchored to the ocean floor. When its sonar detects a hostile submarine, the CAPTOR launches a Mark 46 torpedo.The name CAPTOR is short for enCAPsulated...
(a sea mine which incorporates a Mk 46 torpedo) - MU90 ImpactMU90 ImpactThe MU90/IMPACT is an advanced lightweight anti-submarine torpedo used by navies of Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Australia and Poland. It is designed to compete with and outperform the US-built Mark 46 in the anti-submarine role, and is also available in a special MU90 Hard Kill version for...
torpedo