The US Navy has announced its new operational capability for anti-submarine warfare. According to the publication, the US Navy has developed capabilities to drop a light torpedo from the Poseidon (P-8) maritime patrol aircraft from a high altitude (the maximum launch height of the armament has not been published).
The armament, known as the HAWWC, is actually based on the advanced MK-54 Mod 1 light torpedo manufactured by Boeing, and a kit that allows it to be launched from a relatively high altitude. So far, torpedoes of various models have been dropped from the Poseidon planes, but at lower heights of up to 100 feet (using a parachute that opens near the water level in order to prevent its initiation from the force of the impact in the water) and at shorter ranges to the target area.
The Navy signed a deal with Boeing for the production of conversion kits for the light torpedo in the amount of over 121 million dollars. The conversion kits, called ALA, include a folding wing system, a navigation system (including INS and GPS) and an autopilot.
After the HAWWC is launched from an aircraft, the autopilot system activates a command to deploy the wings, and the torpedo zooms towards the target area. The autopilot drives the platform to the area and separates the torpedo at a relatively low altitude.
The HAWWC system includes a communication system, which allows the aircraft crew to change the armament of the target area, during the flight. This ability is a central ability in anti-submarine warfare, in which there is an inherent difficulty in detecting the submarines.
The conversion kit is based on the navigation and guidance system of the SLAM-ER weapons (the land attack version of the Harpoon sea missile) and the JDAM weapons. The conversion kit is not compatible with the advanced version of the torpedo – MK-54 mod2.
At least 20 nautical miles
The maximum launch range of the torpedo has not been published. But it is known that in the past the navy demanded that such a torpedo launch range be at least 20 nautical miles. It is estimated that the maximum torpedo range will be 40 nautical miles (of course from the water entry area).
The roving torpedo is one of the measures that the US Navy is developing against the Chinese threat in the South China Sea. The Americans have been trying for over ten years to develop an array of capabilities, platforms, systems, weapons, and other capabilities that will allow them to face the Chinese strategy.
The Chinese, who have taken over many islands and territories in the South China Sea (including territories belonging to other countries in the region), control the expanses of the sea, having established a defense strategy known as Anti Access/Area Denial.
The Chinese defense strategy is based on three layers of defense, which allow the Chinese to prevent naval (including underwater) and aerial maneuvers into the Chinese region, and to prevent the Americans from operating their systems and platforms effectively.
This strategy is a combination of asymmetric efforts – such as the activation of fishing militias and coast guard ships, which disrupt American naval maneuvers, along with other efforts, which include a very large submarine array (operating from secret bases on islands in the region) and a wide naval submarine detection array.
In addition, many battleships carry aircraft and even a very large array of air defense batteries and coastal missile batteries, some of which are ballistic with ranges of about 2500 km and some are cruise missiles with ranges of up to 600 km.
According to the renewed combat concept of the US Navy, the conversion kits of the MK-54 torpedo will allow the naval patrol planes to operate at a lower risk from long ranges and to deploy anti-submarine weapons more effectively, thus improving their anti-submarine warfare array against the Chinese navy.
Moreover, the Poseidon aircraft will now be able to become the main torpedo carrier and save the operation of NDF helicopters (anti-submarines) operating from the deck of the American battleships.
A relatively dangerous and inefficient operation, given the relatively short stay time of the helicopters in the air, together with their limitation in carrying torpedoes (weight limitations).