Mark 48 torpedo
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- For the 7.62 mm NATO machine gun, see Mk 48 Mod 0.
The Mark 48 torpedo and its improved ADCAP (Advanced Capability) variant are designed to sink fast, deep-diving nuclear-powered submarines and high-performance surface ships.
The Mk-48 torpedo is designed to be launched from submarine torpedo tubes. It is carried by all U.S. Navy submarines, including Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines and Seawolf, Los Angeles and Virginia attack subs. It is also used on British, Canadian, and Australian submarines.
Operational since 1972, the Mk-48 replaced the Mk-37 and Mk-14 torpedoes. The Mk-48 ADCAP became operational in 1988 and was approved for full production in 1989.
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 searches, acquisition and attack procedures. The torpedoes are designed to detonate under the keel of a surface ship, breaking the ship's back and destroying its structural integrity. Both can circle back and try again if they miss.
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[edit] General characteristics (Mk-48 and Mk-48 ADCAP)
- Primary Function: Heavyweight torpedo for submarines
- Contractor:
- Original Mk-48: Gould
- Mk-48 ADCAP: Hughes Aircraft, now Raytheon
- Power Plant: Swash-plate piston engine; pump jet
- Length: 19 ft (5.79 m)
- Weight: 3,434 lb (1,558 kg) (Mk-48); 3,695 lb (1,676 kg) (Mk-48 ADCAP)
- Diameter: 21 in (533 mm)
- Range: Greater than 5 mi (8 km)
- Depth: Greater than 1,200 ft (370 m)
- Speed: Greater than 28 kt (32 mph, 52 km/h); some sources place the max. speed of an ADCAP at 71 kt (82 mph, 131 km/h)
- Guidance System: Wire guided and passive/active acoustic homing
- Warhead: 650 lb (295 kg) high explosive (at short range, the torpedo's unused fuel adds to the destructive power of the warhead)
- Date Deployed: 1972 (Mk-48), 1988 (Mk-48 ADCAP)
[edit] Propulsion
The swash-plate piston engine is fueled by Otto fuel II, a monopropellant that contains the oxygen needed for combustion. In other words, the fuel decomposes into hot gas, which drives the engine. The thrust comes from twin contra-rotating propellers.[1]
[edit] Sensors and improvements
The torpedo's seeker has an active electronically-steered "pinger" which helps avoid having to maneuver as it closes with the target. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the torpedoes' 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.
According to various sources, continued improvement has been in progress. In the 1990s, a Mod6 variant of the ADCAP has provided much improved noise isolation of the engine, which makes this torpedo more difficult to be detected by any potential target(s). In the early 2000s, upgrade design works (codename CBASS Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System) was started to improve shallow water target detection capability and counter-countermeasure capability.
The official performance data may be a gross understatement, according to non-military sources that put the depth at deeper than 600 meters, the top speed between 60 to 75 knots (110 to 140 km/h), the range at top speed at more than 20 nautical miles (37 km), and the range at lower speeds at more than 30 nautical miles (56 km).
[edit] References
- ^ Jane's article on Mk 48
