Monday, December 15, 2014

BAE Systems to Upgrade the Spearfish Heavyweight Torpedo for the Royal Navy’s Submarines

World Defence News: BAE Systems to Upgrade the Spearfish Heavyweight Torpedo for the Royal Navy’s Submarines

Royal Navy Torpedo Deal Shows UK Govt's Commitment to Scotland: UK Minister / Sputnik International

Royal Navy’s Spearfish Torpedoes in £270m Upgrade | Forces TV
The Spearfish Upgrade includes a new warhead, a change to the fuel system to improve safety, full digitisation of the weapon and a new fibre optic guidance link.
 
They are carried by the Royal Navy’s Astute, Vanguard and Trafalgar Class submarines and can target both underwater and surface threats.
 
Once the torpedo has been fired Spearfish homes in on its target using sonar and will be controlled by the submarine after launch via the new fibre optic link.


BAE Systems to Upgrade the Spearfish Heavyweight Torpedo for the Royal Navy’s Submarines
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded BAE Systems a £270 million contract to upgrade the Spearfish Heavyweight Torpedo for the Royal Navy’s submarines. Following the completion of the design phase, existing torpedoes will be upgraded by BAE Systems at its Broad Oak facility in Portsmouth to the new design with initial deliveries in 2020 continuing until 2024.




Torpedoes and the Next Generation of Undersea Weapons
The MK48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) Heavyweight Torpedo, along with the MK46 Mod 5 and the MK50 Lightweight Torpedoes, are currently the workhorses of the fleet. The heavyweight torpedo is the submarine's key multi-mission underwater weapon, capable of performing both anti-submarine and anti-surface roles. The MK48 Mod 5, with its improved guidance system, and the MK48 Mod 6 with low-noise propulsion, provide the fleet with torpedoes whose performance is unmatched in deep-water scenarios. The lightweight torpedo gives surface ships, airplanes, and helicopters the means to destroy threat submarines. The MK54 Lightweight Torpedo will bring considerably improved shallow water capabilities to the fleet in 2003. Building on the success of the ADCAP torpedo, new weapon technologies are being developed to tackle the challenging shallow-water littoral environment. These technologies will be common to both the heavyweight and lightweight torpedoes to keep costs down and maximize performance across the board. 
 Wonder how the Spearfish Mod 1 compares with the The US Navy -- Fact File: MK 48 - Heavyweight Torpedo

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