Thoughts on the military and military activities of a diverse nature. Free-ranging and eclectic.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Missile?

This is coolbert:

Add this one to your daily TOP SECRET briefing.

Thanks to KTB "Sharkhunters" [http://www.sharkhunters.com]

"Germany has perfected their BARRACUDA underwater missile with enhanced speed up to 800 km/h! This will be normal armament on the 212 Alpha Class submarines on the Bundesmarine. The fuel cell for this high speed torpedo is being built by Diehl BGT Defense, Atlas Elektronik and TMS. This torpedo created a vacuum forward of the nose and that allows for the very high speed. Remember, the Russian designed SQVALL torpedo, released a few years ago, is rocket propelled and some of the exhaust goes out the nose thereby allowing the torpedo to run at 200 mph or better in this sheath of bubbles. These new torpedoes are formidable indeed, and would be difficult indeed to evade."

From the Diehl BGT web site:

"Underwater Missile

The supercavitating underwater missile is a technology demonstration program for close-in defence against underwater targets. It is equipped with a solid-propellant rocket motor, inertial measurement unit, autopilot and a conical tip which can be moved by means of an actuator system. The rocket motor provides the missile with a submerged speed of more than 400km/hr . . . The flexible nose cone provides steering just as a missile's fins do . . . To date, around a dozen test models of the underwater missile have been built and tested successfully."



These underwater missiles [torpedoes [??]] are useful only in limited circumstances??

Does not have long range and are intended to be used ONLY in certain particular situations. Such as from what is described on the wiki site for the Squall:

"the Shkval is designed as a countermeasure against torpedoes launched by undetected enemy submarines. It may also be used as a counter to incoming torpedoes whereby it is launched at the enemy submarine, forcing it to evade, and hopefully cutting the guidance wire to its own torpedo in the process."

The latest German torpedo [underwater missile] is formidable, but only in a very limited way??

coolbert.

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fascinating stuff. If a torpedo can be created that can reach 200mph, why not an entire submarine? A few attack submarines that could go that fast could destroy an enemy navy very quickly or deposit troops/equipment on an enemy shoreline with noo warning. I am sure plenty of nations with beach property in war have scanned the sea's horizon for a surface fleet, but does anyone check under the water? I remember reading in Popular Mechanics in the pre-internet age of a landing craft that would move like a submarine until it reached the shoreline to unload troops and equipment. What a great idea! Why be a floating target for bullets, bombs, rockets and shells?

11:47 AM

 

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