moonbeamsts said:Guys,
The Mk-48 ether has to increase its powered range with new tech. It's reached its limit in tankage and length for 688 tubes.
Seawolf could support a bigger diameter weapon thus increasing range. Far as guidance, longer spool for fiber optic line or old copper wire,which was used when I was in the USN. I helped load plenty of weapons on the 3 boats I was on.One possibility is though a UAV relay of data control by blue green laser link via buoy attached to weapon. This would allow updates.
The Seawolf class were going to be the rest of the fleet. The initial buy was supposed to be 30, with an enhanced version to follow for a 60-ish boat class, by the time it had been cut down to single digits the tube diameter was locked in and there was no benefit to refitting them down. A new heavy torpedo design was penciled in for the late 90s to take advantage of the change, production of which would be ramped up over the lifetime of the new class.sferrin said:moonbeamsts said:Guys,
The Mk-48 ether has to increase its powered range with new tech. It's reached its limit in tankage and length for 688 tubes.
Seawolf could support a bigger diameter weapon thus increasing range. Far as guidance, longer spool for fiber optic line or old copper wire,which was used when I was in the USN. I helped load plenty of weapons on the 3 boats I was on.One possibility is though a UAV relay of data control by blue green laser link via buoy attached to weapon. This would allow updates.
Never understood the point of the larger tubes in the Seawolfs. Unless the rest of the fleet gets them, building weapons to take full advantage of the larger size will never happen.
stealthflanker said:Well, mid course would be very challenging.
In my view, unless new physics or way of sending data underwater be invented, this 100 Miles torpedo would be very difficult or have serious restrictions of depth and speed during employment.
Moose said:The Seawolf class were going to be the rest of the fleet. The initial buy was supposed to be 30, with an enhanced version to follow for a 60-ish boat class, by the time it had been cut down to single digits the tube diameter was locked in and there was no benefit to refitting them down. A new heavy torpedo design was penciled in for the late 90s to take advantage of the change, production of which would be ramped up over the lifetime of the new class.sferrin said:moonbeamsts said:Guys,
The Mk-48 ether has to increase its powered range with new tech. It's reached its limit in tankage and length for 688 tubes.
Seawolf could support a bigger diameter weapon thus increasing range. Far as guidance, longer spool for fiber optic line or old copper wire,which was used when I was in the USN. I helped load plenty of weapons on the 3 boats I was on.One possibility is though a UAV relay of data control by blue green laser link via buoy attached to weapon. This would allow updates.
Never understood the point of the larger tubes in the Seawolfs. Unless the rest of the fleet gets them, building weapons to take full advantage of the larger size will never happen.
bobbymike said:At the recent NavSeaAir Conference all the rage was far ranging autonomous underwater vehicles. Could you have these vehicles ranging far ahead of the submarine and the torpedo would link up to these vehicles half way to the target, or whatever, and they would supply the rest of the target solution?
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/tech/2015/04/16/lduuv-test-san-fransisco-san-diego-2016/25839499/
Moose said:The Seawolf class were going to be the rest of the fleet. The initial buy was supposed to be 30, with an enhanced version to follow for a 60-ish boat class, by the time it had been cut down to single digits the tube diameter was locked in and there was no benefit to refitting them down. A new heavy torpedo design was penciled in for the late 90s to take advantage of the change, production of which would be ramped up over the lifetime of the new class.
I don't have much in the way of links for you, the Seawolf and heavy torp plan predate powerpoint and I don't know how many of the old reports can be found online. The 60-ish boat plan died as soon as it became clear the class was too expensive to replace the 688s, but even up until the launch of the Centurion program the Navy was looking at more affordable/multimission evolutions of the Seawolf hull for further boats. The wider torp never got very far, I think references to it can be found in the Norman Polmar books up until the mid-90s but mainly as an item on the wishlist not an active program.Bruno Anthony said:Moose said:The Seawolf class were going to be the rest of the fleet. The initial buy was supposed to be 30, with an enhanced version to follow for a 60-ish boat class, by the time it had been cut down to single digits the tube diameter was locked in and there was no benefit to refitting them down. A new heavy torpedo design was penciled in for the late 90s to take advantage of the change, production of which would be ramped up over the lifetime of the new class.
Very interesting. Never knew about an enhanced Seawolf or new heavy torp. Do you have references?
I don't doubt you, I am just interested in the subject.
ONR Awards Aerojet Rocketdyne Contract to Develop Prototype Torpedo Propulsion System
AeroJetPhotoSACRAMENTO, Calif. — Aerojet Rocketdyne has been awarded a $2.6 million Phase I contract by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop a prototype torpedo propulsion system under the agency’s Torpedo Advanced Propulsion System (TAPS) program, the company announced in a June 12 release.
The primary goal of the program is to improve the engine efficiency of the U.S. Navy’s Mk48 heavyweight torpedo.
“Aerojet Rocketdyne began developing torpedo propulsion systems in the early 1950s,” said Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne’s CEO and president. “We will carry this legacy forward as we develop the technologies needed to enhance the capability of the Mk48, which is used by the U.S. Navy on all classes of submarines as their most capable anti-submarine and anti-surface weapon.”