|
|
|
HOME
|
US Navy -
ships
|
US Navy - air
units
|
USMC - air
units
|
International
Navies
|
Weapon Systems
|
Special Reports |
|
Submarine Weapon System Mk-48 ADCAP Torpedo |
 |
|
The Mark 48 and its improved Advanced Capability (ADCAP) variant are
US heavyweight submarine-launched torpedoes. They were designed to
sink deep-diving nuclear-powered submarines and high-performance
surface ships. The Mk-48 torpedo was designed at the end of the 1960s to keep up with the advances in Soviet submarine technology. Operational since 1972, it replaced the Mk-37 and Mk-14 torpedoes as the principal weapon of U.S. Navy submarines. With the entry into service of the new Soviet Alfa class submarine in 1972, the decision was made to accelerate the ADCAP program, which would bring significant modifications to the torpedo. Tests were run to ensure that the weapon could keep up with the developments and the weapon was modified with improved acoustics and electronics. The new version of the weapon, also known as Mk-48 Mod 4, was extensively tested and production started in 1985, with entry into service in 1988. From then on, various upgrades have been added to the torpedo. As of 2012 Mk-48 Mod 6 was in service; a Mod 7 version was test fired in 2008 in the Rim of Pacific Naval exercises. The inventory of the U.S. Navy is 1,046 Mk-48 torpedoes. The Mk-48 torpedo is designed to be launched from submarine torpedo tubes. The weapon is carried by all U.S. Navy submarines, including Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines and Seawolf-, Los Angeles-, and Virginia-class attack submarines. It is also used on Canadian, Australian, and Dutch submarines. The Royal Navy elected not to buy the Mark 48, preferring to use the Spearfish instead. Mk-48 and Mk-48 ADCAP torpedoes can be guided from a submarine by wires attached to the torpedo. They can also use their own active or passive sensors to execute programmed target search, acquisition, and attack procedures. The torpedo is designed to detonate under the keel of a surface ship, breaking the ship's back and destroying its structural integrity. In the event of a miss, it can circle back for another attempt. General characteristics: Primary Function: submarine-launched heavyweight torpedo Manufacturer: Mod.1: Gould, Inc. / Honeywell ADCAP: Hughes Aircraft (now Raytheon) Power Plant: swash-plate piston engine; pump jet (Otto fuel II) Diameter: 21 inches (533 mm) Length: 19 feet (5,79 m) Weight: 3434 lb (1558 kg), original // 3695 lb (1676 kg), ADCAP Range: > 25 NM (46 km) Depth: > 1200 feet (365 m), officially // 800 meters (2620 feet), estimated Speed: > 30 knots (56 km/h), officially // 55 knots (102 km/h), estimated Warhead: 650 lb (295 kg) In Service: 1971 - present (Mod 1) // 1988 - present (ADCAP) Users: US Navy, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy, Brazilian Navy |
|
images |
  Mk-48 ADCAP torpedo was loaded into USS Topeka (SSN 754) - Polaris Point, Guam - June 2018  Mk-48 ADCAP torpedo was loaded into USS California (SSN 781) - January 2017  Mk-48 ADCAP torpedo was loaded into USS California (SSN 781) - January 2017   Mk-48 ADCAP torpedo offload from USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) - 2013  Mk-48 ADCAP torpedo was loaded into USS Oklahoma City - Polaris Point, Guam - November 2012  Mk-48 ADCAP torpedo was loaded into USS Oklahoma City - Polaris Point, Guam - November 2012       Mk-48 torpedo was unloaded from a Los Angeles class SSN  Mk-48 ADCAP torpedo aboard USS Asheville (SSN 758)  Mk-48 ADCAP torpedoes aboard USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723)  Mk-48 ADCAP torpedoes aboard USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723)  Mk-48 ADCAP torpedo aboard USS Louisville (SSN 724)  Mk-48 torpedo was loaded into a Los Angeles class SSN - 1983   a view into a torpedo tube aboard a Los Angeles class SSN |
|
|
seaforces.org
|
Weapon Systems
start page
| |
