US Missile Launcher Designations

Before the introduction and development of the Mk 41 VLS, could the pre SM Standard missiles can be used in a VLS Launch tube?
Tartar, Terrier, Talos, Typhon MR and LR, Sea Sparrow, Sea Mauler, Sea Chaparral?
Due ro the launchers, Sea Mauler/Sparrow/Chaparral was capable to my knowledge, Tartar maybe? Terrier and Talos not much as they require check ins before launch? Though therd was a vertically loaded Terrier launcher the Mark 4 so technically it might be possible? What about the Typhons?
Tomahawk and Harpoon are capable.
 
Tzoli said:
Before the introduction and development of the Mk 41 VLS, could the pre SM Standard missiles can be used in a VLS Launch tube?
Tartar, Terrier, Talos, Typhon MR and LR, Sea Sparrow, Sea Mauler, Sea Chaparral?
Due ro the launchers, Sea Mauler/Sparrow/Chaparral was capable to my knowledge, Tartar maybe? Terrier and Talos not much as they require check ins before launch? Though therd was a vertically loaded Terrier launcher the Mark 4 so technically it might be possible? What about the Typhons?
Tomahawk and Harpoon are capable.
Click to expand...

Aside from Chapparal, which is basically impossible to launch vertically due to being an IR homing missile (needs to see the target before launch, hard to do when it's in a cell), and Talos, which would need either a total redesign or almost Polaris-sized missile tubes; the others basically depend on whether they have enough of an autopilot to tip the missile in the right direction after launch so that it can catch the return energy off of the target. I don't think any of them actually did.

Typhon LR and Terrier would also need a more compact booster (like what SM-2ER/SM-3/SM-6 have) in order to avoid the cells being very large due to the fins.
 
Tzoli said:
Before the introduction and development of the Mk 41 VLS, could the pre SM Standard missiles can be used in a VLS Launch tube?
Tartar, Terrier, Talos, Typhon MR and LR, Sea Sparrow, Sea Mauler, Sea Chaparral?
Due ro the launchers, Sea Mauler/Sparrow/Chaparral was capable to my knowledge, Tartar maybe? Terrier and Talos not much as they require check ins before launch? Though therd was a vertically loaded Terrier launcher the Mark 4 so technically it might be possible? What about the Typhons?
Click to expand...
Well, mostly no. There were several problems here:

* Without aerodynamic lifting force to help missile took off, the much more powerful - and bigger - booster would be required.

* Most of those missiles required either to be gathered into the radar beam, or at least oriented in general direction of the target immediately after launch. With rail launchers it was simple; just train and elevate the launcher in required direction. With vertical launcher... it would require some kind of control system, that would work during boost stage, to turn missile in required direction. Basically a separate booster autopilot would be required. And even with 1960s technology, it would be costly and pretty hard to implement.

To elaborate; the beam-riding missiles (like BT-terrier, Talos and Mauler) needed to be gathered by radar guidance beam immediately after launch. For Talos it isn't a big deal, because Talos used separate radars for tracking the target, and for guiding the missile. But Terrier and Mauler - they used the same radar to track the target AND guide the missile. They could not "gather" the vertically-launched missile without breaking the target tracking. So some kind of major fire control system alteration would be required.

The semi-active missiles (like Tartar, BH-terrier and Sea Sparrow) have their own problem. They needed to be aimed at least in general direction of the target to home on. And with uncontrolled vertical launch, you can't be sure in which direction exactly missile would be aimed after boosting. So some kind of boost-phase guidance would be required.

The track-via-missile missiles (i.e. MR and LR Typhoon) are better, since they could be just commanded to dive in required direction immediately after boost. It would require some kind of additional antenna, but it's not a big problem.

Finally, Sea Chaparral could not be launched without locking the missile on the target before launch. So vertical launch is out of question (purely theoretically you could stick the missile seeker head out of silo, manipulate the seeker by commands to look in target direction, and THEN attempt to launch... but I doubt it would work). And I'm not sure the range of vertically-launched Sidewinder would be of any value.
 
Tzoli said:
Mark 27 - 1/2-tube launcher system for the Zuni Chaffroc system
Mark 28 - 1/2-tube launcher system for the Zuni Chaffroc system
Click to expand...
Do we have any proof of that Mk. 27 Chaffroc existing? On which ships it was used?
I searched everywhere, and while the two-tube Mk. 28 is commonly mentioned in literature and online, the Mk 27 avoids me.

E.g. Mk. 28 was used on USS New Jersey BB (1967 refit), Cleveland-class CLs, Blatimore-class CAs, PSMM Mk. 5 patrol boats, and many more... it's made of two pods stacked on top of each other, loaded 4 rockets each, for a total of 8 Zuni rockets per launcher.
Tzoli said:
Mark 33 - 1/2-tube launcher system for 112mm Chaffroc system
Mark 34 - 2-tube launcher system for 112mm Chaffroc system used on the Pegasus class hydrofoils
Mark 36 - 4-rail launcher for 5" Shore Bombardment Rocket used on the LSM(R) Class (Horizontally loaded)
Click to expand...
Mark 33 is also known as Mk. 33 Decoy Launch System or Mk. 33 RBOC - intended for destroyers and smaller warships - used on Garcia-class frigates and Bronstein-class frigates
JPRS Report, Soviet Union, Foreign Military Review, No. 2, February 1988:
The Mk 33 RBOC system includes four Mk 135 six charge launchers with tubes having different fixed angles of inclination; four Mk 4 cartridge storage lockers, each of which holds 72 IR decoys, chaff, other decoys, smokes and so on; two Mk 164 devices for fire control from the bridge and the Mk 158 master fire control panel; four Mk 160 power supply units; two Mk 173 systems for checking serviceability of IR decoys, as well as connecting cables.
There are two versions of the Mk 135 launchers: Mk 135 Mod 1 with three pairs of tubes (fixed angles of 45, 55 and 65 degrees) and Mk 135 Mod 0 (55, 65 and 75 degrees). The base of each Mk 135 launcher contains a primary coil winding inductively connected with a secondary inductance coil winding of the Mk 171 cartridge, which is filled with chaff (diameter 1 mm) consisting of aluminum-coated glass fibers. They have a varying length (equal to half the wavelength of the homing head signal) and cover the 2-20 GHz frequency band corresponding to a wavelength of 150-15 mm. The cartridge is initiated by an electric pulse from a power source, which initially arises in the launcher base primary winding and then is induced in the secondary winding of the cartridge initiating device. The diameter of the Mk 171 Mod 0 cartridge is 112 mm, it is 412 mm high, weighs 4.7 kg. and the chaff volume is 1,886 cm³. The cartridge’s initial velocity and flight time are 70 m/sec and 4 sec respectively. Depending on launcher tube angle of inclination, the cartridge forms a cloud at a height of 105 m and range of 135 m in 4 sec at an angle of inclination of 45 degrees, at a height of 155 m and range of 120 m at 55 degrees, at a height of 130-140 m and range of 90 m at 65 degrees, and at a height of 160 m and range of 70 m at an angle of 75 degrees.
The Mk 158 Mod 0 master fire control panel is located in the ship's combat information center. It is backed up by another two Mk 164 fire control panels located on the bridge. The Mk 160 Mod 0 power supply unit (440 volts, 60 Hz AC is supplied to its input) consists of a transformer, relay, switching element, 24 volt storage battery and battery charger
In the opinion of American and West European specialists, the merits of the RBOC system include high effectiveness, low cost, small size, light weight, ease of installing on ships of various types, possibility of placing chaff and IR decoys, short reaction time, simplicity of operation, reliabie operation, mechanical strength and low consumed power.
In the late 1970's the United States, Great Britain, FRG, Denmark and Norway jointly developed a passive jamming system for protecting ships against air-to-surface and surface-to-surface antiship missiles that is standard within NATO. It is a modification of the RBOC system and is designated the Sea Gnat.
Click to expand...
Mark 34 is also known as Mk. 34 RBOC - intended for hydrofoils and motor patrol boats - used on the aforementioned Pegasus class, it was also planned to be used on Special Warfare Craft. Medium (SWCM) (per ISBN 0870211560 page 658), and in non-US service it was mounted on Donghae-class corvettes and modernised PSMM Mk. 5 patrol boats (the latter two per ISBN 1591149347 page 433)
Mark 36 is also known as Mk. 36 Super RBOC or shorter: Mark 36 SRBOC - intended for principal surface combatants - used on numerous carriers (Enterprise-class, Forrestal class, Kitty Hawk, Nimitz, etc.), Iowa-class BB, California-class CGN, and so on... the list is long.

Good brief on those systems can be found at https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/4258Hu/HOSMk-36-Decoy-System , while RBOC II and SRBOC are described in detail in Jane's Radar and Electronic Warfare Systems 1993-1994 (ISBN 0710610785) pp. 481-483.
 
Last edited:
Jareel said:
Do we have any proof of that Mk. 27 Chaffroc existing? On which ships it was used?
I searched everywhere, and while the two-tube Mk. 28 is commonly mentioned in literature and online, the Mk 27 avoids me.

E.g. Mk. 28 was used on USS New Jersey BB (1967 refit), Cleveland-class CLs, Blatimore-class CAs, PSMM Mk. 5 patrol boats, and many more... it's made of two pods stacked on top of each other, loaded 4 rockets each, for a total of 8 Zuni rockets per launcher.

Mark 33 is also known as Mk. 33 Decoy Launch System or Mk. 33 RBOC - intended for destroyers and smaller warships - used on Garcia-class frigates and Bronstein-class frigates
Mark 34 is also known as Mk. 34 RBOC - intended for hydrofoils and motor patrol boats - used on the aforementioned Pegasus class, it was also planned to be used on Special Warfare Craft. Medium (SWCM) (per ISBN 0870211560 page 658), and in non-US service it was mounted on Donghae-class corvettes and modernised PSMM Mk. 5 patrol boats (the latter two per ISBN 1591149347 page 433)
Mark 36 is also known as Mk. 36 Super RBOC or shorter: Mark 36 SRBOC - intended for principal surface combatants - used on numerous carriers (Enterprise-class, Forrestal class, Kitty Hawk, Nimitz, etc.), Iowa-class BB, California-class CGN, and so on... the list is long.

Good brief on those systems can be found at https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/4258Hu/HOSMk-36-Decoy-System , while RBOC II and SRBOC are described in detail in Jane's Radar and Electronic Warfare Systems 1993-1994 (ISBN 0710610785) pp. 481-483.
Click to expand...
The Mark 27 was mentioned in this post:
 
Jareel said:
Yea, I seen that, actually own the book this is sourced from - Norman Friedman's U.S. Naval Weapons (ISBN 0870217356, page 274) - and Mk. 27 is mentioned only on that very page, once, in the entire book. In said paragraph Mk. 27 seems to also be called "EX-27" (?) but that seems to be even more of a dead-end.
Click to expand...
This you might find helpful:

Missile Launchers and Related Equipment Catalog

maritime.org maritime.org
Though it's not the Mark 27 you are looking for I'm afraid?
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom