Spearfish (Torpedo)
- More than 80 knots ( 150 km / h) for 1994 is in service version
- Unknown at 80 knots ( the 1994 version )
Impact fuze when used against underwater targets, Magneto when used against surface targets
Modern British submarine classes ( Astute, Vanguard and Upholder )
The Spearfish is a British heavy torpedo, whose design dates back to the 1980s.
History
The Spearfish was created by the company Marconi from 1982, according to the standards of the British Naval Staff. The torpedo was basically built for the destruction of diving deep high-speed submarines of Russian design as the Alfa class. The warhead is equipped with a hollow charge and increases its case. Thus, the detonation energy is concentrated delivered to the front. It was built with a view to the destruction of the large double-hulled boats such as the SSBN Typhoon Class or the SSGN Oscar class. With the help of HAP Sundstrand 21TP01 gas turbine engine and a pump beam driving the torpedo reaches more than 60 knots. The torpedo is first controlled by wire. When the wire has fallen off, takes an active / passive sonar seeker head further attack run, the built-in control computer can also make tactical decision to continue the attack run.
The weapon is since the late 1980s when the British navy in use and replaced the 2004 scrapped Mk 24 Tigerfish.
Since the control cable consists of a copper -cadmium alloy, which is harmful to the environment through the toxic heavy metal cadmium, research is being conducted since 2004 to replace the metal cable with a fiber optic cable.
Trivia
The writer Tom Clancy described the torpedo in 1986 in his book Red Storm Rising.