RUM-139B: Mark 46 Mod 5A(SW) torpedo
6-484: The RUM-139 Vertical-Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket ( VL-ASROC or VLA ) is an anti-submarine missile in the ASROC family, currently built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Navy . Design and development of the missile began in 1983 when Goodyear Aerospace was contracted by the U.S. Navy to develop a ship-launched anti-submarine missile compatible with the new Mark 41 vertical launching system (VLS). The development of
12-511: Is a standoff anti-submarine weapon , often a specialized variant of anti-ship missile . Anti-submarine missile usually include a jet or rocket engine and a warhead aimed directly at a submarine . In these missiles, a torpedo or a depth charge is used as a warhead. The anti-submarine missile can be either a cruise missile or a ballistic missile . Depth charges were the earliest weapons designed for use by ships against submerged submarines . These explosives were initially dropped as
18-426: Is dropped from the rocket at a precalculated point on its trajectory , and then parachuted into the sea. The vertical launch missile first became operational in 1993, with more than 450 having been produced by 2007. It is 4.5 meters (15 ft) in length, with a firing range of about 11.8 nm or 22 kilometers (24,000 yd). Beginning in 1996, the missile was replaced by the newer RUM-139A and subsequently
24-491: The VLS ASROC underwent many delays, and it was not deployed on any ships until 1993. During this development, Goodyear Aerospace was bought by Loral Corporation in 1986, and this defense division was in turn purchased by Lockheed Martin in 1995. The first VLS ASROC missile was an RUR-5 ASROC with an upgraded solid-fuel booster section and a digital guidance system. It carries a lightweight Mark 46 homing torpedo that
30-685: The RUM-139B. The torpedo remained the Mark 46, though at one time an improved torpedo called the Mark 50 was proposed and then canceled. In October 2004, the RUM-139C began production with the Mark 54 torpedo . The Mk 54 Mod 0 torpedo achieved Initial Operating Capability in 2010, and the U.S. Navy is transitioning its VL-ASROCs to use the Mk 54. Anti-submarine missile An anti-submarine missile
36-623: The ship moved over the presumed location of a submarine. Before World War II, shipboard sonar was unable to maintain contact with a submarine at close range. Various mortar -type projectors, including Hedgehog and Squid , were devised during World War II to allow a ship to maintain sonar contact while lobbing explosive charges toward the submarine. During the Cold War , missiles were developed to provide greater range with reduced recoil . Some missiles and rockets, such as Red Shark carry homing torpedoes to provide terminal guidance for
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