gardnerdesign
New Member
My vision of a future multi-role navel weapon would be a weapon system that could attack submarines, surface vessels, low flying aircraft, costal installations and even intercept torpedoes. This system could be deployed on surface vessels, submarines and even aircraft. I know it sounds like an impossibly tall order for one weapon but all the technology exists today. First I will elaborate on the design of such a weapon and technologies utilized, and then I will describe the truly novel tactics that such a weapon allows for.
Propulsion: A weapon as versatile as the one I’m proposing would need an equally versatile engine. The obvious choice for me would be a hybrid rocket engine do to its ability to produce very low thrusts to very high thrusts depending on oxidizer flow. Hybrid rocket engines also tend to have specific impulses that fall between a liquid fueled rocket and a solid fuel rocket; this is a bonus for range.
Shape: This is probably the most important aspect of the weapon, and would require variable geometry control surfaces. The shape would barrow heavily from the Russian skval and skval2, but with the addition of wings that can fold in tight enough to not penetrate the bubble created during super cavation. The tail surfaces would be fixed and would penetrate the bubble to increase stability and allow for course corrections.
Guidance: The primary guidance would come from a gyro to keep the weapon running straight and would receive course corrections from ULF signals as well as VHF data link and an optical sensor. For underwater guidance course corrections would be sent through a thin wire trailing the weapon and would have a length equal to its maximum undersea range. For guidance over greater ranges the weapon would act as a missile (deploying its wings and throttling up its engine) and fly through the atmosphere receiving data transmissions through it VHF antenna until target was within range than it would slow back down and enter the water (with sufficient speed to supercavate) and receive any further course corrections through it ULF antenna.
Warhead: The warhead would be anywhere from 250 pounds to 1000 pounds. It has to be enough to inflict sufficient damage to a wide variety of target and should take into account the ability of the weapon to drastically speed up in its terminal phase.
Now I will talk about the unique flight profiles that this weapon can utilize and how it will be used against different targets excluding coastal bombardment as I think it is not quit as novel as the other uses .
Aircraft/Ship/Sub VS Sub: When an enemy sub is detected weather through use of the ship/subs own sensors or through third-party sensors (other subs, surface ships, sonar bowies, ect…) it is relayed to the aggressor ship/sub who fires the weapon at the enemy sub and transmits course corrections through a wire trailed by the weapon. For extended rang sub kills the weapon would leave the water (or ship) and fly down range before slowing (if it is moving too fast) and enter the water supercavating and hitting the target any course corrections would have to be sent by third party (but would probably be unnessesary at this point do to the high speed of the weapon and low speed of the target).
Ship/Sub VS Torpedo: Probably the most simple of flight profiles, yet by far the most desired and novel, the weapon would leave the ship/sub and supercavate towards the incoming torpedo at a speed far superior to conventional torpedoes and would receive course corrections through it wire guidance system until it intercepts the incoming threat.
Sub VS Ship: When a sub detects a ship or receives coordenance from third party the weapon will speed out of the water deploy its wings and fly close to the surface until ship is detected, then it will line up with the ship (leading off if necessary) and slow down and enter the water (supercavating) to negate any CIWS and impact the ship below the water line causing increased damage over conventional anti-ship weapons. (This flight profile is identical to how the weapon would be used in a ship vs. ship or aircraft vs. ship situation except the weapon would not have to first leave the water, it would simply be launched)
Sub VS Aircraft: The weapon would leave the water and receive course corrections through its VHF antenna and optical sensor. It would throttle up its engine to maximum and would probably not require it to deploy its wings. (It is unlikely that a surface ship would opt to use this weapon against aircraft as other more robust systems would be available)
Propulsion: A weapon as versatile as the one I’m proposing would need an equally versatile engine. The obvious choice for me would be a hybrid rocket engine do to its ability to produce very low thrusts to very high thrusts depending on oxidizer flow. Hybrid rocket engines also tend to have specific impulses that fall between a liquid fueled rocket and a solid fuel rocket; this is a bonus for range.
Shape: This is probably the most important aspect of the weapon, and would require variable geometry control surfaces. The shape would barrow heavily from the Russian skval and skval2, but with the addition of wings that can fold in tight enough to not penetrate the bubble created during super cavation. The tail surfaces would be fixed and would penetrate the bubble to increase stability and allow for course corrections.
Guidance: The primary guidance would come from a gyro to keep the weapon running straight and would receive course corrections from ULF signals as well as VHF data link and an optical sensor. For underwater guidance course corrections would be sent through a thin wire trailing the weapon and would have a length equal to its maximum undersea range. For guidance over greater ranges the weapon would act as a missile (deploying its wings and throttling up its engine) and fly through the atmosphere receiving data transmissions through it VHF antenna until target was within range than it would slow back down and enter the water (with sufficient speed to supercavate) and receive any further course corrections through it ULF antenna.
Warhead: The warhead would be anywhere from 250 pounds to 1000 pounds. It has to be enough to inflict sufficient damage to a wide variety of target and should take into account the ability of the weapon to drastically speed up in its terminal phase.
Now I will talk about the unique flight profiles that this weapon can utilize and how it will be used against different targets excluding coastal bombardment as I think it is not quit as novel as the other uses .
Aircraft/Ship/Sub VS Sub: When an enemy sub is detected weather through use of the ship/subs own sensors or through third-party sensors (other subs, surface ships, sonar bowies, ect…) it is relayed to the aggressor ship/sub who fires the weapon at the enemy sub and transmits course corrections through a wire trailed by the weapon. For extended rang sub kills the weapon would leave the water (or ship) and fly down range before slowing (if it is moving too fast) and enter the water supercavating and hitting the target any course corrections would have to be sent by third party (but would probably be unnessesary at this point do to the high speed of the weapon and low speed of the target).
Ship/Sub VS Torpedo: Probably the most simple of flight profiles, yet by far the most desired and novel, the weapon would leave the ship/sub and supercavate towards the incoming torpedo at a speed far superior to conventional torpedoes and would receive course corrections through it wire guidance system until it intercepts the incoming threat.
Sub VS Ship: When a sub detects a ship or receives coordenance from third party the weapon will speed out of the water deploy its wings and fly close to the surface until ship is detected, then it will line up with the ship (leading off if necessary) and slow down and enter the water (supercavating) to negate any CIWS and impact the ship below the water line causing increased damage over conventional anti-ship weapons. (This flight profile is identical to how the weapon would be used in a ship vs. ship or aircraft vs. ship situation except the weapon would not have to first leave the water, it would simply be launched)
Sub VS Aircraft: The weapon would leave the water and receive course corrections through its VHF antenna and optical sensor. It would throttle up its engine to maximum and would probably not require it to deploy its wings. (It is unlikely that a surface ship would opt to use this weapon against aircraft as other more robust systems would be available)