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Mark 46 torpedo

Lightweight antisubmarine torpedo

Summary

Lightweight antisubmarine torpedo

Field	Value
name	Mark 46 torpedo
image	File:Mark 46 torpedo launched by DD-980 1996.JPEG
image_size	300
caption	A Mk 46 exercise torpedo launched from .
origin	United States
type	Lightweight anti-submarine torpedo
is_ranged	y
is_explosive	y
is_missile	y
service	• Mod 0: 1963
• Mod 5: 1979
used_by	See operators
designer	Naval Ordnance Test Station Pasadena
Aerojet
Alliant Techsystems
design_date	1960
manufacturer	Aerojet
Naval Ordnance Station Forest Park
Honeywell
Raytheon
variants	Mod 0
Mod 1
Mod 2
Mod 5
Mod 5A
Mod 5A(S)
Mod 5A(SW)
weight	508 lb
length	8 ft
diameter	12.75 in
filling	PBXN-103 high explosive (bulk charge)
filling_weight	96.8 lb
engine	Two-speed, reciprocating external combustion
propellant	Otto fuel II
vehicle_range	12000 yd
depth	1200 ft
speed	40 kn
guidance	Active or passive/active acoustic homing
launch_platform	Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes, ASW Aircraft, RUM-139 VL-ASROC

• Mod 5: 1979 Aerojet Alliant Techsystems Naval Ordnance Station Forest Park Honeywell Raytheon Mod 1 Mod 2 Mod 5 Mod 5A Mod 5A(S) Mod 5A(SW)

The Mark 46 torpedo is the backbone of the United States Navy's lightweight anti-submarine warfare torpedo inventory and is the NATO standard. These aerial torpedoes are designed to attack high-performance submarines. In 1989, an improvement program for the Mod 5 to the Mod 5A and Mod 5A(S) increased its shallow-water performance. The Mark 46 was initially developed as Research Torpedo Concept I (RETORC I), one of several weapons recommended for implementation by Project Nobska, a 1956 summer study on submarine warfare.

File:Mark-46-prop.jpg|A Mark 46 Mod 5A torpedo is inspected aboard the guided missile destroyer . File:Lynx mk46.jpg|A French Lynx helicopter carrying a Mk 46 torpedo. File:P-8A Poseidon of VP-16 dropping torpedo in 2013.JPG|A P-8A Poseidon of VP-16 dropping a Mark 46 torpedo

Design details

Variants

Mod 0: One of the original versions of 1960 (production started 1963). Solid propellent piston engine. Gyro/wire guidance with passive/active homing.
Mod 1: Based on Mod 0. 1967. Uses liquid Otto fuel piston engine. Laminar search guidance. Phase 1 of 1968 uses stronger hull to resist deeper waters. Phase 2 of 1971 uses a new homing program able to detect submarines near the surface.
Mod 2: Based on Mod 1 phase 2. More powerful Mk 103 Mod 1 warhead. Improved computer with snake search pattern capability. Known to have been captured by China in 1978.
Mod 4: Version for use as Mark 60 CAPTOR mine payload.
Mod 5: 1979 upgrade kit for Mod 2, also known as NEARTIP (near-term improvement program). New passive/active sonar, liquid fuel and two speed engine for low speed search and high speed attack.
- Mod 5A: Cheaper NEARTIP upgrade kit for Mod 1 and Mod 2 with improved shallow-water performance. 1980s.
- Mod 5A(S): Variant of 5A that allows use in water as shallow as 40 m.
- Mod 5A(SW): Latest variant from 1996 Service Life Extension Program. Boasts improved counter-countermeasure performance, enhanced target acquisition, provides a bottom-avoidance preset, and improved maintainability and reliability.
Mod 6: Version for Mark 60 CAPTOR, with some NEARTIP components.
Mod 7: Cancelled. Not funded by Congress.

For most variants there is also an inert REXTORP (recoverable exercise torpedo) version.

Specifications

; Mark 46, Mod 5

Primary Function: Air and ship-launched lightweight torpedo
Contractor: Alliant Techsystems
Power Plant: Two-speed, reciprocating external combustion; Mono-propellant (Otto fuel II)
Length: 8 ft tube launch configuration (from ship), 14 ft with ASROC rocket booster
Weight: 508 lb (warshot configuration)
Diameter: 12.75 in
Range: 12,000 yd
Depth: 1200 ft
Speed: 40 knots
Guidance System: Homing mode: Active or passive/active acoustic homing
Launch/search mode: Snake or circle search
Warhead: 96.8 lb of PBXN-103 high explosive (bulk charge)
Date Deployed: 1967 (Mod 0); 1979 (Mod 5)

Yu-7 variant

The Chinese Yu-7 torpedo is said to be based on the Mk 46 Mod 2. The Chinese Navy used the Yu-7 ASW torpedo, deployed primarily on ships and ASW helicopters, but it started to be replaced by the Yu-11 in 2012.

Operators

Australia
Bahrain
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Croatia
Ecuador
Egypt
France
Germany
Greece
Indonesia
Iran
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kuwait
Mexico
Morocco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Pakistan
Peru
Philippines
Portugal
Saudi Arabia
South Korea
Spain
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States

References

Jolie, E.W.. (15 September 1978). "A Brief History of US Navy Torpedo Development: Torpedo Mk46".
(27 November 2012). "The US Navy Fact File: Mark 46 Torpedo".
Friedman, Norman. (1994). "U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History". Naval Institute Press.
"Mark 60 CAPTOR".
(1978). "Torpedo MK 46 Physical Characteristics.". Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego, CA.; Government-Industry Data Exchange Program.
"Mk 46".
"MK-46 Torpedo".
Thomas, Vincent C. ''The Almanac of Seapower 1987'' Navy League of the United States (1987) {{ISBN. 0-9610724-8-2 pp.190-191
Polmar, Norman "The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet: Torpedoes" ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'' November 1978 p.160
[http://mil.jschina.com.cn/huitong/missile1.htm (Chinese language)] {{webarchive. link. (2006-11-02)
(2017). "Undersea dragon: Chinese ASW capabilities advance". Jane's.
(3 April 2021). "Frigate Lot 3A - Torpedoes Acquisition Project of the Philippine Navy".
"Mk 46 torpedo - Weaponsystems.net".

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

aerial-torpedoes cold-war-anti-submarine-weapons-of-the-united-states military-equipment-introduced-in-the-1960s torpedoes-of-the-united-kingdom torpedoes-of-the-united-states

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