Login
Login

Anti-submarine missile

{{Distinguish|Anti-submarine rocket}}

{{See also|Torpedo}}

{{Short description|Missile designed to target submerged vessels}}

File:Red-Shark cutway.png missile cutaway. The missile uses a K745 Blue Shark anti-submarine torpedo as warhead.]]

File:Operation diagram of an anti-submarine missile system.svg

An anti-submarine missile is a standoff anti-submarine weapon, often a specialized variant of anti-ship missile. Anti-submarine missiles usually include a jet or rocket engine and a warhead aimed directly at a submarine. In these missiles, a torpedo or a depth charge is used as a warhead. The anti-submarine missile can be either a cruise missile or a ballistic missile.

History

File:S.M.A.R.T.webm (supersonic missile assisted release of torpedo) launch]]

File:Maille-Braize-14.jpg, used by the French Navy between 1966 and 1997, used a rocket-assisted glider to carry a torpedo up to 8 nautical miles (13 km) after launch.]]

Depth charges were the earliest weapons designed for use by ships against submerged submarines. These explosives were initially dropped as the ship moved over the presumed location of a submarine. Before World War II, shipboard sonar was unable to maintain contact with a submarine at close range.

Various mortar-type projectors, including Hedgehog and Squid, were devised during World War II to allow a ship to maintain sonar contact while lobbing explosive charges toward the submarine.Hughes, Terry, and Costello, John The Battle of the Atlantic (1977) Dial Press {{Listed Invalid ISBN|0-8037-6454-2}} pp.307-308

During the Cold War, missiles were developed to provide greater range with reduced recoil. Some missiles and rockets, such as Red Shark carry homing torpedoes to provide terminal guidance for the warhead.Albrecht, Gerhard Weyer's Warships of the World (1969) United States Naval Institute p.385 The advantage of an anti-submarine missile is the attack stand-off range.

Examples

File:Ikara missile.JPG, an Australian-designed missile used by several navies between the 1960s and 1990s; a rocket-parachute delivery system carried an acoustic torpedo up to 10 nautical miles (19 km) after launch. A variant re-designed in the UK and used by the Royal Navy could deliver a nuclear depth charge.]]

File:Test launch of the 07VLA.jpg missile launched from vertical launching system.]]

References

{{reflist}}

{{-}}

{{Missile types}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anti-Submarine Missile}}

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine missiles

Anti-submarine weapons

Category:Missile types

Guided missiles