SUBMAN1
04-17-08, 03:18 PM
Torpedoes are big biz now.
-S
Submarine Orders Are a Boon for Torpedo Market
Mar 28, 2008
Joris Janssen Lok/Defense Technology International
The fastest way to sink a ship, a submariner once told a DTI editor, is to let water in at the bottom and air out of the top. That’s the role of the 533-mm. (21-in.)-dia. heavyweight torpedo, a worldwide standard since the early days of submarine warfare. Demand for these weapons slumped after the Cold War—navies had ample stockpiles and cut back on submarine orders—but production and development are picking up due to the proliferation of advanced non-nuclear submarines (DTI May 2007, p. 24).
http://www.aviationweek.com/media/images/defense_images/top_story/DT_03_01_2008_237.jpg
U.S. Navy warship fires Raytheon Mk 46 lightweight torpedo.Credit: U.S. NAVY
Most torpedoes, though, still follow a classic configuration. One major exception is Russia’s Shkval high-speed (around 200 kt.), supercavitating torpedo, which has yet to appear in any meaningful numbers on the international market. The rocket-propelled weapon has a 210-kg. (462-lb.) warhead. It derives its speed by generating a gas bubble around the skin that greatly reduces drag (DTI March/April 2006, p. 12).
In a close-in, active-sonar engagement, a submarine with a Shkval would be a lethal opponent. The weapon’s range, however, is limited, reportedly around 13 km. (7 naut. mi.), and it is questionable if the Shkval is capable of the terminal precision guidance needed to intercept a maneuvering target some miles away, largely because its cavitator is installed on the nose of the torpedo.
Russia isn’t the only country with an eye on supercavitation. Diehl BGT Defense of Germany is working on such a torpedo, known as Barracuda. In the U.S., the Office of Naval Research has also funded work on supercavitation torpedoes and homing capabilities.
Nevertheless, conventional heavyweight torpedoes dominate the market. These are typically equipped with wire-guidance systems and advanced acoustic homing heads to perform the final close-in and intercept maneuvers. Their range can be as great as 90-100 km. and their top speed more than 50-55 kt.—enough to defeat a nuclear submarine or a frigate trying to run away at 30 kt.
After the lean years of the 1990s and early 2000s, there are only five main suppliers of advanced heavyweight torpedoes in the West. Of these, two have been winning most of the competitions in the past decade: Atlas Elektronik of Wedel, Germany (owned 60% by German naval shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and 40% by EADS), and WASS (Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei) of Italy, which is owned by Finmeccanica and works with DCNS of France.
Atlas produces the DM2A4 torpedo system. It is known to the non-NATO export market as the Seahake Mod 4, and features slightly different software. The DM2A4 has been ordered by the German navy for the Type U212 air-independent propulsion submarines, built by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, two of which are on order and four in service. Turkey has also acquired the DM2A4.
The weapon is powered by a high-frequency permanent magnet electric motor. This device and the torpedo’s electronics draw power from silver-zinc (Ag-Zn) batteries (or “energy packages” in Atlas Elektronik parlance), of which up to four can be installed based on the modular design of the DM2A4. The torpedo’s performance and endurance increase with the number of energy packages. Each configuration has its own optimized seven-blade propeller section.
Guidance is by a fiber-optic wire that pays out between the submarine and the running torpedo. The wire lets the command team in the submarine “see” what the weapon’s acoustic sensor head detects. The sensor is installed as a conformal array around the nose of the torpedo and works with 40 pre-formed receiving beams.
http://www.aviationweek.com/media/images/dti_images/small/DT_03_01_2008_238.jpg
BAE Systems’ Spearfish is being upgraded for better shallow-water performance, even though production ended in 2003. The weapon is carried on the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines. Credit: BAE SYSTEMS CONCEPT
Atlas supplies the DM2A4 as part of a larger family of unmanned underwater vehicles that also perform reconnaissance or deploy underwater robots, like the Seafox mine-disposal and identification vehicle.
WASS, for its part, sold 24 Black Shark heavyweight torpedoes it developed with DCNS to Portugal in 2005. These will arm German-built Type 209P submarines. Additional batches have been ordered by Chile and Malaysia for use in Scorpene submarines built by DCNS and Navantia.
The Black Shark is described as a next-generation, fiber-optic-wire-guided and self-homing, multipurpose (anti-submarine and anti-ship) weapon for submarines or surface vessels. WASS claims that Black Shark is adaptable to a variety of discharge systems, and is optimized for deep-water and littoral operations.
The digital weapon can detect zero-Doppler targets and features “sophisticated counter-acoustic countermeasures capability.” The active/passive Astra (Advanced Sonar Transmitting and Receiving Architecture) acoustic sensor head is shaped externally to reduce flow noise, while the weapon itself generates low radiated noise.
Like the DM2A4, the Black Shark has an electrical propulsion system with a “very-high-energy-content primary battery,” and an undisclosed top speed with stepless electronic speed control. The 6.3-meter (20.6-ft.)-long weapon simultaneously manages several targets, and due to a two-way wire link, benefits from the submarine’s tactical situation picture during its run. The Astra seeker can also be used as an additional remote sensor for the sub’s combat suite, which in the case of Portugal is supplied by competitor Atlas Elektronik.
A little over a year ago, French battery specialist Saft was awarded a major contract by DCNS to supply advanced battery systems based on its aluminium-silver oxide (Al-AgO) technology to power the Black Shark. DCNS assembles Al-AgO batteries into PB50 electric propulsion systems for Black Shark torpedoes that are sold to Chile, Malaysia and Portugal.
The Saft Black Shark battery powers an electronically controlled, high-rpm. brushless motor that drives a skewed, multi-blade, pump-jet propulsor capable of speeds above 50 kt. for 15 min., during which time the weapon can cover 12.5 naut. mi. At slow speeds the range is significantly greater. The battery also powers onboard control, guidance and countermeasure systems.
Aluminum-silver oxide was the selected technology that came out of a late-1980s joint feasibility program between France, Germany and Italy to define a new electric propulsion system for heavyweight torpedoes. Germany decided to stay with silver-zinc technology, but France and Italy embraced the new system. According to Saft, this is because for the same mass and volume, an Al-AgO system delivers twice as much energy and power as a conventional Ag-Zn battery—a claim that Atlas disputes. Al-AgO batteries also have a long, maintenance-free storage life—up to 12 years. Saft claims it is the only battery manufacturer with Al-AgO technology.
http://www.aviationweek.com/media/images/dti_images/small/DT_03_01_2008_239.jpg
DM2A4 test round is made ready for shipment by Atlas Elektronik factory in Germany. Credit: ATLAS ELEKTRONIK
Of the other main players in heavyweight torpedoes, BAE Systems has focused on developing upgrades for the high-performance Spearfish anti-submarine/anti-shipping weapon it supplied for the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines. These are mostly shallow-water versions. Spearfish is a high-end, high-cost, high-security system. Mainly for these reasons BAE, the owner until 2006 of Atlas Elektronik, left the export field to its German subsidiary.
BAE handed over the final series production Spearfish in November 2003, signaling the end of a £677-million (currently $1.3-billion), nine-year contract for the Underwater Systems Div. in Waterlooville, Hampshire, England. Spearfish will be in service with the Royal Navy until 2025. According to BAE, Spearfish has proven to be a “quiet, intelligent weapon with unsurpassed speed, endurance and maneuverability.”
Saab Underwater Systems has been manufacturing the hydrogen peroxide-fueled Torpedo 2000 heavyweight system, which arms Swedish navy submarines. The 6-meter-long weapon weighs 1,450 kg., runs at more than 45 kt., and has a range of over 50 km. Saab claims it can destroy or disable all types of surface vessels or submarines, and operates in very shallow or very deep (below 500 meters) waters.
Raytheon has the largest customer base of any heavyweight torpedo manufacturer, due to the fact that the U.S. Navy and several allied navies (including Australia and the Netherlands) use its Mk 48. Raytheon is the sole-source design contractor and producer of the Mk 48 Adcap (advanced capability) and upgrades.
The latest Mk 48 Adcap version, the Mod 6 AT (advanced technology) torpedo, is designed to handle threats in littoral and deep waters. Based on proven Mk 48 components, the 5.86-meter-long, 1,572-kg. Mod 6 AT is claimed to be effective and low in total ownership cost.
The torpedo uses Mk 48 Adcap sonar, guidance and control, an electrical power system and quieting technology to maximize effectiveness and reduce cost. The torpedo is capable of autonomous operation or control via wirelink. The Mod 6 AT features state-of-the-art sonar and an advanced digital signal processor for improved low-Doppler target detection and a search volume of over 1.6 billion cubic meters. Software-based guidance and control enables autonomous operation, fire-and-forget tactics, simultaneous multiple-target engagement and close-in attack. Mk 48 Adcap quieting technology applied to the Mk 48 Mod 4 propulsion system reduces self-noise enough to enable covert deployment and minimize detection.
All Mk 48 torpedoes use Otto Fuel II as a propellant. Raytheon says that the storable fuel, which expands to gas to drive a turbine or swashplate engine, is “an inexpensive and safe alternative to hydrogen peroxide-based fuels and electric propulsion,” based on 30 years of use in U.S. submarines. According to the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Otto Fuel II is a distinct-smelling, reddish-orange, oily liquid, a mixture of propylene glycol dinitrate (the major component), 2-nitrodiphenylamine and dibutyl sebacate.
Raytheon adds that the Mod 6 AT is designed for occupational safety, can be safely stored for decades, and its use does not require special construction or isolation. “Otto Fuel II is a stable, safe, high-energy-density fuel providing long-range capability.”
The U.S. Navy supports spiral software improvement for the Mk 48 Adcap torpedo via the Advanced Processor Build system. This promotes the competitive selection of software algorithms for maturation, test and weapon integration during periodic software block upgrades. The Navy backs Mk 48 Adcap Mod 6 AT supportability through 2026, Raytheon says.
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=dti&id=news/DTITORP.xml&headline=Submarine+Orders+Are+a+Boon+for+Torpedo+M arket
-S
Submarine Orders Are a Boon for Torpedo Market
Mar 28, 2008
Joris Janssen Lok/Defense Technology International
The fastest way to sink a ship, a submariner once told a DTI editor, is to let water in at the bottom and air out of the top. That’s the role of the 533-mm. (21-in.)-dia. heavyweight torpedo, a worldwide standard since the early days of submarine warfare. Demand for these weapons slumped after the Cold War—navies had ample stockpiles and cut back on submarine orders—but production and development are picking up due to the proliferation of advanced non-nuclear submarines (DTI May 2007, p. 24).
http://www.aviationweek.com/media/images/defense_images/top_story/DT_03_01_2008_237.jpg
U.S. Navy warship fires Raytheon Mk 46 lightweight torpedo.Credit: U.S. NAVY
Most torpedoes, though, still follow a classic configuration. One major exception is Russia’s Shkval high-speed (around 200 kt.), supercavitating torpedo, which has yet to appear in any meaningful numbers on the international market. The rocket-propelled weapon has a 210-kg. (462-lb.) warhead. It derives its speed by generating a gas bubble around the skin that greatly reduces drag (DTI March/April 2006, p. 12).
In a close-in, active-sonar engagement, a submarine with a Shkval would be a lethal opponent. The weapon’s range, however, is limited, reportedly around 13 km. (7 naut. mi.), and it is questionable if the Shkval is capable of the terminal precision guidance needed to intercept a maneuvering target some miles away, largely because its cavitator is installed on the nose of the torpedo.
Russia isn’t the only country with an eye on supercavitation. Diehl BGT Defense of Germany is working on such a torpedo, known as Barracuda. In the U.S., the Office of Naval Research has also funded work on supercavitation torpedoes and homing capabilities.
Nevertheless, conventional heavyweight torpedoes dominate the market. These are typically equipped with wire-guidance systems and advanced acoustic homing heads to perform the final close-in and intercept maneuvers. Their range can be as great as 90-100 km. and their top speed more than 50-55 kt.—enough to defeat a nuclear submarine or a frigate trying to run away at 30 kt.
After the lean years of the 1990s and early 2000s, there are only five main suppliers of advanced heavyweight torpedoes in the West. Of these, two have been winning most of the competitions in the past decade: Atlas Elektronik of Wedel, Germany (owned 60% by German naval shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and 40% by EADS), and WASS (Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei) of Italy, which is owned by Finmeccanica and works with DCNS of France.
Atlas produces the DM2A4 torpedo system. It is known to the non-NATO export market as the Seahake Mod 4, and features slightly different software. The DM2A4 has been ordered by the German navy for the Type U212 air-independent propulsion submarines, built by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, two of which are on order and four in service. Turkey has also acquired the DM2A4.
The weapon is powered by a high-frequency permanent magnet electric motor. This device and the torpedo’s electronics draw power from silver-zinc (Ag-Zn) batteries (or “energy packages” in Atlas Elektronik parlance), of which up to four can be installed based on the modular design of the DM2A4. The torpedo’s performance and endurance increase with the number of energy packages. Each configuration has its own optimized seven-blade propeller section.
Guidance is by a fiber-optic wire that pays out between the submarine and the running torpedo. The wire lets the command team in the submarine “see” what the weapon’s acoustic sensor head detects. The sensor is installed as a conformal array around the nose of the torpedo and works with 40 pre-formed receiving beams.
http://www.aviationweek.com/media/images/dti_images/small/DT_03_01_2008_238.jpg
BAE Systems’ Spearfish is being upgraded for better shallow-water performance, even though production ended in 2003. The weapon is carried on the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines. Credit: BAE SYSTEMS CONCEPT
Atlas supplies the DM2A4 as part of a larger family of unmanned underwater vehicles that also perform reconnaissance or deploy underwater robots, like the Seafox mine-disposal and identification vehicle.
WASS, for its part, sold 24 Black Shark heavyweight torpedoes it developed with DCNS to Portugal in 2005. These will arm German-built Type 209P submarines. Additional batches have been ordered by Chile and Malaysia for use in Scorpene submarines built by DCNS and Navantia.
The Black Shark is described as a next-generation, fiber-optic-wire-guided and self-homing, multipurpose (anti-submarine and anti-ship) weapon for submarines or surface vessels. WASS claims that Black Shark is adaptable to a variety of discharge systems, and is optimized for deep-water and littoral operations.
The digital weapon can detect zero-Doppler targets and features “sophisticated counter-acoustic countermeasures capability.” The active/passive Astra (Advanced Sonar Transmitting and Receiving Architecture) acoustic sensor head is shaped externally to reduce flow noise, while the weapon itself generates low radiated noise.
Like the DM2A4, the Black Shark has an electrical propulsion system with a “very-high-energy-content primary battery,” and an undisclosed top speed with stepless electronic speed control. The 6.3-meter (20.6-ft.)-long weapon simultaneously manages several targets, and due to a two-way wire link, benefits from the submarine’s tactical situation picture during its run. The Astra seeker can also be used as an additional remote sensor for the sub’s combat suite, which in the case of Portugal is supplied by competitor Atlas Elektronik.
A little over a year ago, French battery specialist Saft was awarded a major contract by DCNS to supply advanced battery systems based on its aluminium-silver oxide (Al-AgO) technology to power the Black Shark. DCNS assembles Al-AgO batteries into PB50 electric propulsion systems for Black Shark torpedoes that are sold to Chile, Malaysia and Portugal.
The Saft Black Shark battery powers an electronically controlled, high-rpm. brushless motor that drives a skewed, multi-blade, pump-jet propulsor capable of speeds above 50 kt. for 15 min., during which time the weapon can cover 12.5 naut. mi. At slow speeds the range is significantly greater. The battery also powers onboard control, guidance and countermeasure systems.
Aluminum-silver oxide was the selected technology that came out of a late-1980s joint feasibility program between France, Germany and Italy to define a new electric propulsion system for heavyweight torpedoes. Germany decided to stay with silver-zinc technology, but France and Italy embraced the new system. According to Saft, this is because for the same mass and volume, an Al-AgO system delivers twice as much energy and power as a conventional Ag-Zn battery—a claim that Atlas disputes. Al-AgO batteries also have a long, maintenance-free storage life—up to 12 years. Saft claims it is the only battery manufacturer with Al-AgO technology.
http://www.aviationweek.com/media/images/dti_images/small/DT_03_01_2008_239.jpg
DM2A4 test round is made ready for shipment by Atlas Elektronik factory in Germany. Credit: ATLAS ELEKTRONIK
Of the other main players in heavyweight torpedoes, BAE Systems has focused on developing upgrades for the high-performance Spearfish anti-submarine/anti-shipping weapon it supplied for the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines. These are mostly shallow-water versions. Spearfish is a high-end, high-cost, high-security system. Mainly for these reasons BAE, the owner until 2006 of Atlas Elektronik, left the export field to its German subsidiary.
BAE handed over the final series production Spearfish in November 2003, signaling the end of a £677-million (currently $1.3-billion), nine-year contract for the Underwater Systems Div. in Waterlooville, Hampshire, England. Spearfish will be in service with the Royal Navy until 2025. According to BAE, Spearfish has proven to be a “quiet, intelligent weapon with unsurpassed speed, endurance and maneuverability.”
Saab Underwater Systems has been manufacturing the hydrogen peroxide-fueled Torpedo 2000 heavyweight system, which arms Swedish navy submarines. The 6-meter-long weapon weighs 1,450 kg., runs at more than 45 kt., and has a range of over 50 km. Saab claims it can destroy or disable all types of surface vessels or submarines, and operates in very shallow or very deep (below 500 meters) waters.
Raytheon has the largest customer base of any heavyweight torpedo manufacturer, due to the fact that the U.S. Navy and several allied navies (including Australia and the Netherlands) use its Mk 48. Raytheon is the sole-source design contractor and producer of the Mk 48 Adcap (advanced capability) and upgrades.
The latest Mk 48 Adcap version, the Mod 6 AT (advanced technology) torpedo, is designed to handle threats in littoral and deep waters. Based on proven Mk 48 components, the 5.86-meter-long, 1,572-kg. Mod 6 AT is claimed to be effective and low in total ownership cost.
The torpedo uses Mk 48 Adcap sonar, guidance and control, an electrical power system and quieting technology to maximize effectiveness and reduce cost. The torpedo is capable of autonomous operation or control via wirelink. The Mod 6 AT features state-of-the-art sonar and an advanced digital signal processor for improved low-Doppler target detection and a search volume of over 1.6 billion cubic meters. Software-based guidance and control enables autonomous operation, fire-and-forget tactics, simultaneous multiple-target engagement and close-in attack. Mk 48 Adcap quieting technology applied to the Mk 48 Mod 4 propulsion system reduces self-noise enough to enable covert deployment and minimize detection.
All Mk 48 torpedoes use Otto Fuel II as a propellant. Raytheon says that the storable fuel, which expands to gas to drive a turbine or swashplate engine, is “an inexpensive and safe alternative to hydrogen peroxide-based fuels and electric propulsion,” based on 30 years of use in U.S. submarines. According to the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Otto Fuel II is a distinct-smelling, reddish-orange, oily liquid, a mixture of propylene glycol dinitrate (the major component), 2-nitrodiphenylamine and dibutyl sebacate.
Raytheon adds that the Mod 6 AT is designed for occupational safety, can be safely stored for decades, and its use does not require special construction or isolation. “Otto Fuel II is a stable, safe, high-energy-density fuel providing long-range capability.”
The U.S. Navy supports spiral software improvement for the Mk 48 Adcap torpedo via the Advanced Processor Build system. This promotes the competitive selection of software algorithms for maturation, test and weapon integration during periodic software block upgrades. The Navy backs Mk 48 Adcap Mod 6 AT supportability through 2026, Raytheon says.
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=dti&id=news/DTITORP.xml&headline=Submarine+Orders+Are+a+Boon+for+Torpedo+M arket