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| Squall Torpedo for the P.N. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 28 2005, 02:29 PM (812 Views) | |
| Sentinel | Sep 28 2005, 02:29 PM Post #1 |
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Trainee
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Guys, what if we get this torp. from the Russians, what platform in our current inventory would be best suited or capable for it? Any comments, suggestions, dirty jokes or violent reactions? VA-111 Shkval (Squall) EQUIPMENT CATEGORY: Naval Mines/Torpedoes -- Torpedoes COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Russia LATEST UPDATE: 1 December 2001 PICTURES OF: VA-111 Shkval (Squall) DESCRIPTION The Shkval("squall") is a high-speed supercavitating rocket-propelled torpedo designed to be a rapid-reaction defense against U.S. submarines undetected by sonar. It can also be used as a countermeasure to an incoming torpedo, forcing the hostile projectile to abruptly change course and possibly break its guidance wires. The solid-rocket propelled torpedo achieves a high velocity of 230 mph (386 kmh) by producing an envelope of supercavitating bubbles from its nose and skin, which coat the entire weapon surface in a thin layer of gas. This causes the metal skin of the weapon to avoid contact with the water, significantly reducing drag and friction. The Shkval is fired from the standard 533-mm torpedo tube at a depth of up to 328 ft (100 m). The rocket-powered torpedo exits the tube at 50 knots (93 kmh) and then ignites the rocket motor, propelling the weapon to speeds four to five times faster than other conventional torpedoes. The weapon reportedly has an 80 percent kill probability at a range of 7,655 yd (7,000 m). The torpedo is guided by an autopilot rather than by a homing head as on most torpedoes. The initial version was unguided. However, the Russians have indicated there is a homing version that starts at the higher speed but slows and enters a search mode. PICTURES STATUS The weapon was deployed in the early 1990s, and had been in service for years when its existence was publicly disclosed. In 1995, it was revealed that development had begun in the 1960s, when the Research Institute NII-24, previously involved in artillery ammunition research, was ordered to help develop an underwater high-speed missile to combat nuclear-powered submarines. On May 14, 1969, a government mandate created the Research Institute of Applied Hydromechanics (NII PGM), which was the predecessor of today's Region Scientific Production Association. A modernized "Shkval" was placed on display at the 1995 international armaments show in Abu Dhabi, but it was discarded. Later, an improved model was designed with a conventional warhead and a guided targeting system. The first tests of this "smart" Shkval torpedo were conducted by the Russian Pacific Fleet in early 1998. The Region Scientific Production Association has developed an export modification of the missile, the Shkval-E. Russia first marketed this conventionally armed version at the IDEX 99 exhibition in Abu Dhabi in early 1999. Russia reportedly sold China 40 conventionally armed Shkval-Es in the mid-1990s. BUILDER(S) Region State Research and Production Enterprise, Moscow USERS/PLATFORMS Russia CHARACTERISTICS DIMENSIONS: Length 26 ft 11 in (8,200 mm) Diameter 1 ft 9 in ( 533 mm) Weight 5,953 lb (2,700 kg) PERFORMANCE: Speed Maximum 230 mph (360 kmh; 100 m/sec; 200 kts) Some reports say in excess of 300 mph (483 kmh) Exit from tube 50 kts (93 kmh) Range 80 percent Pkill 7,655 yd (7,000 m) WARHEAD: Explosive Weight 463 lb (210 kg) Type TNT Fuze contact/proximity VARIANTS Shkval High-Speed Underwater Rocket Original unguided production model. Uses a tactical nuclear warhead on a timer to destroy incoming torpedoes and/or the submarine that launched them. This model was deployed in 1977; it could only be fired in a straight line and had a range of about 10 miles (16.2 km). Improved Shkval Original model with guided targeting system and a conventional warhead. Shkval-E Export variant. This model requires the crew of a submarine or ship to define the target's parameters -- speed, distance and vector. The torpedo must also be fed data for the automatic pilot. This variant does not have a homing warhead and must follow a computer-generated program. ISSUES AND NOTES U.S. intelligence experts call the nuclear-equipped Shkval a "revenge weapon," as it would destroy its target and the submarine that launched it. Russian sources have disagreed with this assessment, saying that the double-hull construction of Soviet-built submarines could withstand the resultant nuclear shockwave. On April 5, 2000, an American businessman, Edmond Pope, and a Russian colleague were arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in Moscow. The men were charged with stealing scientific secrets -- specifically information on the Shkval torpedo. Pope, a retired U.S. Navy captain who spent the majority of his career working in naval intelligence, was then the head of a private security firm. Two weeks after the arrest, the FSB claimed that Pope was seeking plans for the high-speed underwater missile. The retired navy officer was detained during informal contact with one of the Russian scientists who helped to create the torpedo. Pope spent eight months in the Russian Lefortovo prison awaiting trial. He was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 20 years. On Dec. 14, 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin pardoned Pope on humanitarian grounds; the American has been suffering from bone cancer. Pope was in Russia as a businessman to purchase Russian technology when he apparently fell prey to a Canadian intelligence operation intent on purchasing the Shkval torpedoes, according to U.S. intelligence sources. OPERATIONAL NOTES None. © 2004 Military Periscope. All rights reserved. Redistribution of content is prohibited without prior consent of Military Periscope. |
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8:33 AM Jul 11