RUM-139 VL-Asroc
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The RUM-139 VL-Asroc is a rocket in the ASROC family, designed and built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Navy.
Development of the weapon began in 1983 when Goodyear was commissioned by the U.S. Navy to develop a ship-launched anti-submarine missile compatible with the MK 41 Vertical Launch System. During development, Goodyear Aerospace was bought by Loral, whose defence devision was in turn purchased by Lockheed Martin in 1986.
The rocket is a RUR-5 Asroc with a replacement solid-fuel booster section and a digital guidance system. It carries a lightweight MK 46 MOD 5A homing torpedo which is dropped from the rocket at a precalculated point on its trajectory, parachuting to the water surface. From 1996 the torpedo was replaced by the newer RUM-139A and subsequently the RUM-139B.
The rocket became operational in 1993, with more than 450 in operation today. It is nearly 5 meters in length with a range of 28 kilometers and a speed of over mach 1.
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