You'll find "35+ km" in all declassified official data sources, including MBDA's own datasheet advertising it. The 55 km given in some sources are an unofficial estimation, and a rather low one at that.
ASW Questions,
- Thread starter B1RDY
- Start date
So, that beats SS-n-14, I suppose....
971
New Member
Range isn’t that phenomenal?
Well if you think in cruise missiles’ terms, then it’s not.
Otherwise these systems have HUGE ranges.
The system you mentioned, the SS-N-15, has a range of some 28nm. That’s about 45 kms.
There are however two other systems developed by Russians:
- The RPK-7 Vetev (Vodopod-MK the surface variant) – NATO designation SS-N-16 Stallion. Uses the 65cm TT, and an E-45-75A (Type40) 53cm torpedo. Range: 644nm (120km!)
- The 91RE1 – NATO: SS-N-27. Uses 53cm TT and a smaller torpedo (48-49cm). Range 18nm (35km). This one (including the torpedo it carried) was at one point under development. I don’t know whether entered production or the project was abandoned.
So, we all due respect. At sea and in sea-warfare, ranges of 35 and up to 100 kms, are phenomenal.
SS-N-14 Silex is an ASW missile with a range of some 50 km constituting the main armament of the Udaloy class destroyers among others.
There are torpedoes with that kind of range you know. I.e. the Russian Type65 with a range of 50,000m at 49kts or 100,000m at 40kts.
i don't see the advantage that a long range ASW missile can offer to a surface ship. All ASW ships today carry at least one ASW helicopter, and during ASW picket duty will have a ASW aircraft in attendance. ASW torpedo is only useful if the sub are detected too close and there's little time to launch a helo,so the extra fuel
is a waste. For long range engagement, a helo is better.
is a waste. For long range engagement, a helo is better.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #26
The idea was to have a more effective long range anti ship weapon then using multiple missiles to engage a ship. As anti missile defences are so advanced on ships and torpedo's are so effective against ships, I was thinking of incorporating best of the two weapon systems.
The main problem with a long range ASW weapon is having a good enough target position for you to engage at that range. The Helo is a good platfrom because it can localise as well as drop the weapon. The weapon may have a homing capability, but it still has limits
Unless of course you intend to use a nuclear warhead.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #28
A cruise missile style UAV could be launched to carry the torpedo to its target range and then provide the weapon with accurate guidance? Or perhaps the weapon could be controlled wirelessly, using radar from the surface vessel or from any other survalance source in the military's arsenal to guide it or the weapons operator. Anyway I'm sure with the rate of advancing technology we're either going to progress past the need for anything other than missiles or continue finding new weapons, followed by finding new countermeasures etc.
SM-2 block III missile can engage an incoming missile from more then 100km away. To overcome this, the missile must release the torpedo outside the effective range of the enemy air defence system. All ASW missile today carry a payload of a lightweight ASW torpedo which barely sufficient to penetrate a hull of it's primary target, a submarine, let alone to cause considerable damage to the large surface ship. Plus, the torpedo short range mean's the missile must enter the enemy air defence coverage to reach a release point. there's a chance that the missile will be shot down before it can release. For a long range heavy torpedo, there's no practical way for a normal size missile to carry one. let's look it this way. a Mk-48 heavy torpedo weight 3400 pound. A tomahawk missile weight 2900 pound. I can't imagine how big the missile that can haul a heavy torpedo. It may not even be able to fit into a hull of most warships today.
Where does the cruise missile get the target information?
How does the cruise missile hang around in the air to communicate with the torpedo once launched?
How does wireless communication work through water?
How does radar track the ASW target or torpedo launched
Technology advances, the laws of physics stay the same