Modern torpedo, what is and what will be. About the appearance of modern submarine torpedoes Maneuvering and control devices

The nomenclature of German torpedoes may seem extremely confusing at first glance, but there were only two main types of torpedoes on submarines, differing in different fuses and course control systems. In fact, these two types G7a and G7e were modifications of the 500 mm G7 torpedo, which was used during the First World War. By the beginning of World War II, the caliber of torpedoes was standardized and adopted as 21 inches (533 mm). The standard length of the torpedo was 7.18 m, the explosive mass of the warhead was 280 kg. Due to the battery weighing 665 kg, the G7e torpedo was 75 kg heavier than the G7a (1603 and 1528 kg, respectively).

The fuses used to detonate torpedoes were a source of great concern to submariners, and many failures were recorded early in the war. By the beginning of World War II, the G7a and G7e torpedoes were in service with a contact-non-contact fuse Pi1, triggered by a torpedo hitting the ship’s hull, or by exposure to a magnetic field created by the ship’s hull (modifications TI and TII, respectively). It soon became clear that torpedoes with proximity fuzes often went off prematurely or did not explode at all when passing under the target. Already at the end of 1939, changes were made to the design of the fuse that made it possible to disable the non-contact contactor circuit. However, this was not a solution to the problem: now, when hitting the side of a ship, torpedoes did not explode at all. After identifying the causes and eliminating defects from May 1940, German torpedo weapons submarines reached a satisfactory level, except for the fact that a workable contact-non-contact fuse Pi2, and then only for G7e torpedoes of the TIII modification, entered service by the end of 1942 (the Pi3 fuse developed for G7a torpedoes was used in limited quantities from August 1943 years to August 1944 and was considered not reliable enough).

Torpedo tubes on submarines were usually located inside a pressure hull at the bow and stern. The exception was Type VIIA submarines, which had one torpedo tube installed in the aft superstructure. The ratio of the number of torpedo tubes to the displacement of the submarine, and the ratio of the number of bow and stern torpedo tubes remained standard. On the new submarines of the XXI and XXIII series, stern torpedo tubes were structurally absent, which ultimately led to some improvement in speed characteristics when moving under water.

The torpedo tubes of German submarines had a number of interesting design features. Changing the depth of travel and the angle of rotation of the torpedo gyroscope could be carried out directly in the devices, from the computing device (CSD) located in the conning tower. Another feature worth noting is the ability to store and deploy TMB and TMC proximity mines from the torpedo tube.

TYPES OF TORPEDOES

TI(G7a)

This torpedo was a relatively simple weapon that was propelled by steam generated by the combustion of alcohol in a stream of air coming from a small cylinder. The TI(G7a) torpedo had two propellers that rotated in antiphase. The G7a could be equipped with 44, 40 and 30-knot modes, in which it could travel 5500, 7500 and 12500 m, respectively (later, as torpedoes were improved, the range increased to 6000, 8000 and 12500 m). The main disadvantage of the torpedo was its bubble trail, and therefore it was more appropriate to use it at night.

TII(G7e)

The TII(G7e) model had much in common with the TI(G7a), but was driven by a small 100 hp electric motor that rotated two propellers. The TII(G7e) torpedo did not create a noticeable wake, developed a speed of 30 knots and had a range of up to 3000 m. The G7e production technology was developed so effectively that the production of electric torpedoes turned out to be simpler and cheaper compared to their steam-gas counterpart. As a result of this, the usual ammunition load of a Series VII submarine at the beginning of the war consisted of 10-12 G7e torpedoes and only 2-4 G7a torpedoes.

TIII(G7e)

The TIII(G7e) torpedo developed a speed of 30 knots and had a range of up to 5000 m. An improved version of the TIII(G7e) torpedo, adopted for service in 1943, received the designation TIIIa(G7e); This modification had an improved battery design and a torpedo heating system in the torpedo tube, which made it possible to increase the effective range to 7500 m. The FaT guidance system was installed on torpedoes of this modification.

TIV(G7es) "Falke" ("Hawk")

At the beginning of 1942, German designers managed to develop the first homing acoustic torpedo based on the G7e. This torpedo received the designation TIV(G7es) "Falke" ("Hawk") and was put into service in July 1943, but was almost never used in combat (about 100 were manufactured). The torpedo had a proximity fuse; the explosive mass of its warhead was 274 kg, but with sufficient long range action - up to 7500 m - it had a reduced speed - only 20 knots. The peculiarities of the propagation of propeller noise under water required firing from the target's aft heading angles, but the probability of catching it with such a slow torpedo was low. As a result, TIV(G7es) was considered suitable only for firing at large vehicles moving at a speed of no more than 13 knots.

TV(G7es) "Zaunkonig" ("Wren")

A further development of the TIV(G7es) "Falke" ("Hawk") was the development of the homing acoustic torpedo TV(G7es) "Zaunkonig" ("Wren"), which entered service in September 1943. This torpedo was intended primarily to combat escort ships of Allied convoys, although it could also be used successfully against transport ships. It was based on the G7e electric torpedo, but its maximum speed was reduced to 24.5 knots to reduce the torpedo's own noise. This had a positive effect - the range increased to 5750 m.

The TV(G7es) torpedo "Zaunkonig" ("Wren") had the following significant drawback- she could take the boat itself as a target. Although the homing device was turned on after traveling 400 m, standard practice after launching a torpedo was to immediately dive the submarine to a depth of at least 60 m.

TXI(G7es) "Zaunkonig-II" ("Wren-II")

To combat acoustic torpedoes, the Allies began to use a simple "Foxer" device, towed by an escort ship and creating noise, after which in April 1944 the homing acoustic torpedo TXI (G7es) "Zaunkonig-II" ("Wren-II") was adopted for submarine arsenal "). It was a modification of the TV(G7еs) "Zaunkonig" ("Wren") torpedo and was equipped with an anti-jam homing device tuned to the characteristic frequencies of the ship's propellers. However, the homing acoustic torpedoes did not bring the expected results: out of 640 TV(G7es) and TXI(G7es) torpedoes fired at the ships, according to various sources, 58 or 72 hits were noted.

COURSE GUIDANCE SYSTEMS

FaT - Flachenabsuchender Torpedo

Due to the growing complexity of combat conditions in the Atlantic in the second half of the war, it became increasingly difficult for “wolf packs” to break through the guards of convoys, as a result of which, in the fall of 1942, torpedo guidance systems underwent another modernization. Although German designers took care of introducing the FaT and LuT systems in advance, providing space for them in submarines, only a small number of submarines received FaT and LuT equipment in full.

The first example of the Flachenabsuchender Torpedo (horizontally maneuvering torpedo) guidance system was installed on the TI(G7a) torpedo. The following control concept was implemented - the torpedo in the first section of the trajectory moved linearly over a distance from 500 to 12,500 m and turned in any direction at an angle of up to 135 degrees across the movement of the convoy, and in the zone of destruction of enemy ships, further movement was carried out along an S-shaped trajectory (" snake") at a speed of 5-7 knots, while the length of the straight section ranged from 800 to 1600 m and the circulation diameter was 300 m. As a result, the search trajectory resembled the steps of a ladder. Ideally, the torpedo should have searched for a target at a constant speed across the direction of movement of the convoy. The probability of being hit by such a torpedo, fired from the forward angles of a convoy with a “snake” across its course of movement, turned out to be very high.

Since May 1943, the following modification of the FaTII guidance system (the length of the “snake” section is 800 m) began to be installed on TII (G7e) torpedoes. Due to the short range of the electric torpedo, this modification was considered primarily as a self-defense weapon, fired from the stern torpedo tube towards the pursuing escort ship.

LuT - Lagenuabhangiger Torpedo

The Lagenuabhangiger Torpedo (self-guided torpedo) guidance system was developed to overcome the limitations of the FaT system and entered service in the spring of 1944. Compared to the previous system, the torpedoes were equipped with a second gyroscope, as a result of which it became possible to set turns twice before the start of the “snake” movement. Theoretically, this made it possible for the submarine commander to attack the convoy not from the bow heading angles, but from any position - first the torpedo overtook the convoy, then turned to its bow angles, and only after that began to move in a “snake” across the convoy’s course of movement. The length of the “snake” section could be changed in any range up to 1600 m, while the speed of the torpedo was inversely proportional to the length of the section and was for G7a with the initial 30-knot mode set to 10 knots with a section length of 500 m and 5 knots with a section length of 1500 m .

The need to make changes to the design of torpedo tubes and the computing device limited the number of boats prepared to use the LuT guidance system to only five dozen. Historians estimate that German submariners fired about 70 LuT torpedoes during the war.

ACOUSTIC GUIDANCE SYSTEMS

"Zaunkonig" ("Wren")

This device, installed on G7e torpedoes, had acoustic target sensors, which ensured homing of torpedoes based on the cavitation noise of the propellers. However, the device had the disadvantage that it could operate prematurely when passing through a turbulent wake. In addition, the device was capable of detecting cavitation noise only at target speeds of 10 to 18 knots at a distance of about 300 m.

"Zaunkonig-II" ("Wren-II")

This device had acoustic target sensors tuned to the characteristic frequencies of the ship's propellers to eliminate the possibility of premature operation. Torpedoes equipped with this device were used with some success as a means of combating convoy guard ships; The torpedo was launched from the stern apparatus towards the pursuing enemy.

Currently, there is a serious increase in Russia's lag in the design and development of torpedo weapons. For a long time, the situation was somehow smoothed out by the presence in Russia of the Shkval missile-torpedoes, adopted in 1977; since 2005, similar weapons have appeared in Germany. There is information that the German Barracuda missile-torpedoes are capable of developing a higher speed than the Shkval, but for now Russian torpedoes of this type are more widespread. In general, the lag between conventional Russian torpedoes and foreign analogues reaches 20-30 years.

The main manufacturer of torpedoes in Russia is JSC Concern Morskoe Subdovanoye – Gidropribor. This enterprise, during the International Naval Show in 2009 (“IMMS-2009”), presented its developments to the public, in particular 533 mm. universal remote-controlled electric torpedo TE-2. This torpedo is designed to destroy modern enemy submarines in any area of ​​the World Ocean.

The torpedo has the following characteristics: length with telecontrol coil (without coil) - 8300 (7900) mm, total weight - 2450 kg, warhead weight - 250 kg. The torpedo is capable of speeds from 32 to 45 knots at a range of 15 and 25 km, respectively, and has a service life of 10 years.

The torpedo is equipped with an acoustic homing system (active for surface targets and active-passive for underwater targets) and non-contact electromagnetic fuses, as well as a fairly powerful electric motor with a noise reduction device.

The torpedo can be installed on submarines and ships various types and at the request of the customer is made in three various options. The first TE-2-01 assumes mechanical, and the second TE-2-02 electrical input of data on a detected target. The third version of the TE-2 torpedo has smaller weight and dimensions with a length of 6.5 meters and is intended for use on NATO-type submarines, for example, on German Project 209 submarines.

The TE-2-02 torpedo was specially developed to arm Project 971 Bars class nuclear attack submarines, which carry missile and torpedo weapons. There is information that a similar nuclear submarine was purchased under contract navy India.

The saddest thing is that such a torpedo already does not meet a number of requirements for such weapons, and is also inferior in its technical characteristics to foreign analogues. All modern Western-made torpedoes and even new Chinese-made torpedo weapons have hose remote control. On domestic torpedoes, a towed reel is used - a rudiment of almost 50 years ago. Which actually puts our submarines under enemy fire with much greater effective firing distances. Not one of the domestic torpedoes presented at the IMDS-2009 exhibition did not have a remote control hose reel; all of them were towed. In turn, all modern torpedoes are equipped with a fiber-optic guidance system, which is located on board the submarine, and not on the torpedo, which minimizes interference from false targets.

For example, the modern American long-range remote-controlled torpedo Mk-48, designed to hit high-speed underwater and surface targets, is capable of speeds of up to 55 and 40 knots at distances of 38 and 50 kilometers, respectively ( evaluate the capabilities of the domestic torpedo TE-2 45 and 32 knots at ranges of 15 and 25 km). The American torpedo is equipped with a multiple attack system, which is triggered when the torpedo loses its target. The torpedo is capable of independently detecting, capturing and attacking a target. The electronic content of the torpedo is configured in such a way that it allows it to hit enemy submarines in the area of ​​the command post located behind the torpedo compartment.

Rocket torpedo "Shkval"

Most likely development torpedo weapons In the coming years, the so-called cavitating torpedoes (also known as rocket torpedoes) will be improved. Their distinctive feature is the nasal disk with a diameter of about 10 cm, which creates an air bubble in front of the torpedo, which helps reduce water resistance and allows you to achieve acceptable accuracy at high speeds. An example of such torpedoes is the domestic missile-torpedo “Shkval” with a diameter of 533 mm, which is capable of reaching speeds of up to 360 km/h, the mass of the warhead is 210 kg, the torpedo does not have a homing system.

The spread of this type of torpedo is hampered, not least by the fact that at high speeds of their movement it is difficult to decipher hydroacoustic signals to control the missile-torpedo. Such torpedoes use a jet engine as propulsion instead of a propeller, which in turn makes them difficult to control; some types of such torpedoes can only move in a straight line. There is information that work is currently underway to create a new Shkval model, which will receive a homing system and increased weight of the warhead.

As the Izvestia newspaper reported, the Russian Navy has adopted the new Fizik-2 torpedo. Reportedly, this torpedo is intended to arm the latest Project 955 Borei submarine missile carriers and the new generation Project 885855M Yasen multi-purpose nuclear submarines.

Until recently, the situation with torpedo weapons for the Russian Navy was rather bleak - despite the presence of modern third-generation nuclear submarines and the emergence of the latest fourth-generation submarines, their combat capabilities were significantly limited by the existing torpedo weapons, which were significantly inferior not only to new ones, but also in largely outdated models of foreign torpedoes. And not only American and European, but even Chinese.

The main task of the Soviet submarine fleet was to fight the surface ships of a potential enemy, primarily American convoys, which, if they outgrew Cold War"hot" were supposed to deliver American troops, weapons and military equipment, various supplies and logistics. The most advanced in the Soviet submarine fleet were the “thermal” torpedoes 53-65K and 65-76, designed to destroy ships - they had high speed characteristics and range for their time, as well as a unique wake locating system, which made it possible to “catch” the wake enemy ship and follow along it until it hits the target. At the same time, they provided complete freedom of maneuver for the carrier submarine after launch. The monstrous 65-76 torpedo with a caliber of 650 millimeters was especially effective. It had a huge range - 100 kilometers at a speed of 35 knots and 50 kilometers at a speed of 50 knots, and the most powerful 765-kg warhead was enough to cause heavy damage even to an aircraft carrier (only a few torpedoes were required to sink an aircraft carrier) and was guaranteed to sink one torpedo ship of any other class.

However, in the 1970s, so-called universal torpedoes appeared - they could be used equally effectively both against surface ships and against submarines. A new torpedo guidance system has also appeared - telecontrol. At this method When aiming a torpedo, control commands are transmitted to it using an unwinding wire, which makes it easy to “parry” the target’s maneuvers and optimize the trajectory of the torpedo, which in turn allows you to expand the effective range of the torpedo. However, in the field of creating universal remote-controlled torpedoes in the Soviet Union, no significant success was achieved; moreover, Soviet universal torpedoes were already significantly inferior to their foreign counterparts. Firstly, all Soviet universal torpedoes were electric, i.e. driven by electricity from batteries placed on board. They are easier to operate, have less noise when moving and do not leave an unmasking mark on the surface, but at the same time, in terms of range and speed, they are very significantly inferior to steam-gas or so-called. "thermal" torpedoes. Secondly, highest level automation of Soviet submarines, including a system for automatic loading of torpedo tubes, imposed design restrictions on the torpedo and did not allow the implementation of the so-called. hose telecontrol system, when the reel with the remote control cable is located in the torpedo tube. Instead, a towed coil had to be used, which severely limits the torpedo's capabilities. If the hose telecontrol system allows the submarine to freely maneuver after launching a torpedo, then the towed one extremely limits maneuvers after launch - in this case, the remote control cable is guaranteed to break, moreover, there is a high probability of its breakage from the oncoming flow of water. The towed coil also does not allow salvo torpedo firing.

In the late 1980s, work began on creating new torpedoes, but due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, they were continued only in the new millennium. As a result, Russian submarines were left with ineffective torpedoes. The main universal torpedo USET-80 had completely unsatisfactory characteristics, and the existing SET-65 anti-submarine torpedoes, which had good characteristics when they were put into service in 1965, were already obsolete. At the beginning of the 21st century, the 65-76 torpedo, which in 2000 caused the Kursk submarine disaster that shocked the entire country, was withdrawn from service. Russian attack submarines have lost their “far arm” and the most effective torpedo for combating surface ships. Thus, by the beginning of the current decade, the situation with submarine torpedo weapons was completely depressing - they had extremely weak capabilities in a duel situation with enemy submarines and limited opportunities for hitting surface targets. However, the latter problem was partially overcome by equipping submarines with modernized 53-65K torpedoes, which may have received new system homing and higher range and speed characteristics were provided. However, the capabilities of Russian torpedoes were significantly inferior to modern modifications of the main American universal torpedo, the Mk-48. The fleet obviously needed new universal torpedoes that met modern requirements.

In 2003, a new torpedo, UGST (Universal Deep-Sea Homing Torpedo), was presented at the International Naval Show. For the Russian Navy, this torpedo was called “Physicist”. According to available data, since 2008, the Dagdizel plant has been producing limited quantities of these torpedoes for testing on the latest submarines of projects 955 and 885. Since 2015, mass production of these torpedoes has begun and equipping them with the latest submarines, which previously had to be armed obsolete torpedoes. For example, the Severodvinsk submarine, which entered the fleet in 2014, was initially armed with obsolete USET-80 torpedoes. As reported in open sources, as the number of new torpedoes produced increases, older submarines will also be armed with them.

In 2016, it was reported that tests of the new Futlyar torpedo were being carried out on Lake Issyk-Kul and that it was supposed to be put into service in 2017, after which the production of the Physicist torpedoes would be curtailed and instead of them the fleet would begin to receive other, more perfect torpedoes. However, on July 12, 2017, the Izvestia newspaper and a number of Russian news agencies reported that the new torpedo "Physicist-2" has been adopted by the Russian Navy. At the moment, it is completely unclear whether the torpedo called “Case” or the “Case” torpedo, a fundamentally new torpedo, has been adopted for service. The first version can be supported by the fact that, as reported last year, the Futlyar torpedo is a further development of the Physicist torpedo. The same is said about the Fizik-2 torpedo.

The Fizik torpedo has a range of 50 km at a speed of 30 knots and 40 kilometers at a speed of 50 knots. The Fizik-2 torpedo reportedly has an increased speed of up to 60 knots (about 110 mph) maximum speed due to the new 19DT turbine engine with a power of 800 kW. The Fizik torpedo has an active-passive homing system and a remote control system. The torpedo homing system when firing at surface targets ensures detection of the wake of an enemy ship at a distance of 2.5 kilometers and guidance to the target by locating the wake. Apparently, the torpedo is equipped with a new generation wake locating system, which is less susceptible to hydroacoustic countermeasures. For firing at submarines, the homing system has active sonars capable of “capturing” an enemy submarine at a distance of up to 1200 meters. Probably, newest torpedo"Fizik-2" has an even more advanced homing system. It also seems likely that the torpedo received a hose reel instead of a towed one. Reportedly, the overall combat capabilities of this torpedo are comparable to the capabilities of the latest modifications of the American Mk-48 torpedo.

Thus, the situation with the “torpedo crisis” in the Russian Navy was reversed and perhaps in the coming years it will be possible to equip all Russian submarines with new universal, highly effective torpedoes, which will significantly expand the potential of the Russian submarine fleet.

Pavel Rumyantsev

Missile torpedoes - basic lethal agent to eliminate enemy submarines. Original design and unsurpassed technical characteristics For a long time, the Soviet Shkval torpedo, which is still in service with the Russian Navy, was distinguished.

History of the development of the Shkval jet torpedo

The world's first torpedo, relatively suitable for combat use for stationary ships, back in 1865, the Russian inventor I.F. designed and even made it in makeshift conditions. Alexandrovsky. His “self-propelled mine” was for the first time in history equipped with a pneumatic motor and a hydrostat (stroke depth regulator).

But at first, the head of the relevant department, Admiral N.K. Krabbe considered the development “premature”, and later mass production and adoption of the domestic “torpedo” was abandoned, giving preference to the Whitehead torpedo.

This weapon was first introduced by the English engineer Robert Whitehead in 1866, and five years later, after improvement, it entered service with the Austro-Hungarian Navy. The Russian Empire armed its navy with torpedoes in 1874.

Since then, torpedoes and launchers have become increasingly widespread and modernized. Over time, special warships arose - destroyers, for which torpedo weapons were the main one.

The first torpedoes were equipped with pneumatic or steam-gas engines, developed a relatively low speed, and during the march they left a clear trail behind them, noticing which the sailors managed to make a maneuver - to dodge. Only German designers managed to create an underwater missile powered by an electric motor before World War II.

Advantages of torpedoes over anti-ship missiles:

• more massive / powerful warhead;
• explosion energy more destructive for a floating target;
• immunity to weather conditions- torpedoes are not hindered by any storms or waves;
• a torpedo is more difficult to destroy or knock off course by interference.

The need to improve submarines and torpedo weapons Soviet Union dictated by the United States with its excellent air defense system, which made the American naval fleet almost invulnerable to bomber aircraft.

The design of a torpedo, surpassing existing domestic and foreign models in speed thanks to a unique operating principle, started in the 1960s. The design work was carried out by specialists from Moscow Research Institute No. 24, which was later (after the USSR) reorganized into the well-known State Research and Production Enterprise “Region”. The development was led by G.V., who was sent to Moscow from Ukraine for a long time and for a long time. Logvinovich - since 1967, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. According to other sources, the design group was headed by I.L. Merkulov.

In 1965, the new weapon was first tested on Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, after which the Shkval system was refined for more than ten years. The designers were tasked with making the torpedo missile universal, that is, designed to arm both submarines and surface ships. It was also necessary to maximize the speed of movement.

The acceptance of the torpedo into service under the name VA-111 “Shkval” dates back to 1977. Further, engineers continued to modernize it and create modifications, including the most famous - Shkval-E, developed in 1992 specifically for export.

Initially, the underwater missile was devoid of a homing system and was equipped with a 150-kiloton nuclear warhead, capable of causing damage to the enemy up to and including the destruction of an aircraft carrier with all its weapons and escort ships. Variations with conventional warheads soon appeared.

The purpose of this torpedo

Being reactive rocket weapons, Shkval is designed to strike underwater and surface targets. First of all, these are enemy submarines, ships and boats; shooting at coastal infrastructure is also possible.

Shkval-E, equipped with a conventional (high-explosive) warhead, is capable of effectively hitting exclusively surface targets.

Shkval torpedo design

The developers of Shkval sought to bring to life the idea of ​​an underwater missile that a large enemy ship could not dodge by any maneuver. To do this, it was necessary to achieve a speed of 100 m/s, or at least 360 km/h.

The team of designers managed to realize what seemed impossible - to create a jet-powered underwater torpedo weapon that successfully overcomes water resistance due to movement in supercavitation.

Unique speed indicators became a reality primarily thanks to the double hydrojet engine, which includes the launch and sustainer parts. The first gives the rocket the most powerful impulse at launch, the second maintains the speed of movement.

The starting engine is liquid fuel; it takes Shkval out of the torpedo complex and immediately undocks.

Marching - solid fuel, using sea ​​water as an oxidizer-catalyst, allowing the rocket to move without propellers at the rear.

Supercavitation is the movement of a solid object into aquatic environment with the formation of a “cocoon” around it, inside of which there is only water vapor. This bubble significantly reduces water resistance. It is inflated and supported by a special cavitator containing a gas generator for pressurizing gases.

A homing torpedo hits a target using an appropriate propulsion engine control system. Without homing, Shkval hits the point according to the coordinates specified at the start. Neither the submarine nor the large ship has time to leave the indicated point, since both are much inferior to the weapon in speed.

The absence of homing theoretically does not guarantee 100% hit accuracy, however, the enemy can knock a homing missile off course using missile defense devices, and a non-homing missile follows to the target, despite such obstacles.

The shell of the rocket is made of the strongest steel that can withstand the enormous pressure that Shkval experiences on the march.

Specifications

Tactical and technical characteristics of the Shkval torpedo missile:

• Caliber - 533.4 mm;
• Length - 8 meters;
• Weight - 2700 kg;
• The power of the nuclear warhead is 150 kt of TNT;
• The mass of a conventional warhead is 210 kg;
• Speed ​​- 375 km/h;
• The range of action is about 7 kilometers for the old torpedo / up to 13 km for the modernized one.

Differences (features) of the performance characteristics of Shkval-E:

• Length - 8.2 m;
• Range - up to 10 kilometers;
• Travel depth - 6 meters;
• The warhead is only high-explosive;
• Type of launch - surface or underwater;
• Underwater launch depth is up to 30 meters.

The torpedo is called supersonic, but this is not entirely true, since it moves under water without reaching the speed of sound.

Pros and cons of torpedoes

Advantages of a hydrojet torpedo rocket:

• Unparalleled speed on the march, providing virtually guaranteed penetration of any defensive system of the enemy fleet and the destruction of a submarine or surface ship;
• A powerful high-explosive charge hits even the largest warships, and a nuclear warhead is capable of sinking an entire aircraft-carrying group with one blow;
• Suitability of a hydrojet missile system for installation in surface ships and submarines.

Disadvantages of Squall:

• high cost of weapons - about 6 million US dollars;
• accuracy - leaves much to be desired;
• the strong noise made during the march, combined with vibration, instantly unmasks the submarine;
• a short range reduces the survivability of the ship or submarine from which the missile was launched, especially when using a torpedo with a nuclear warhead.

In fact, the cost of launching Shkval includes not only the production of the torpedo itself, but also the submarine (ship), and the value of manpower in the amount of the entire crew.

The range is less than 14 km - this is the main disadvantage.

In modern naval combat, launching from such a distance is a suicidal action for the submarine crew. Naturally, only a destroyer or frigate can dodge the “fan” of launched torpedoes, but it is hardly possible for the submarine (ship) itself to escape from the scene of attack in the coverage area of ​​carrier-based aircraft and the aircraft carrier’s support group.

Experts even admit that the Shkval underwater missile may be withdrawn from use today due to the listed serious shortcomings, which seem insurmountable.

Possible modifications

Modernization of a hydrojet torpedo refers to the most important tasks weapons designers for the Russian navy. Therefore, work to improve Shkval was not completely curtailed even in the crisis of the nineties.

There are currently at least three modified "supersonic" torpedoes.

1. First of all, this is the above-mentioned export variation of Shkval-E, designed specifically for production for sale abroad. Unlike a standard torpedo, the Eshka is not designed to be equipped with nuclear warhead and the destruction of underwater military targets. In addition, this variation is characterized by a shorter range - 10 km versus 13 for the modernized Shkval, which is produced for the Russian Navy. Shkval-E is used only with launch complexes unified with Russian ships. Work on the design of modified variations for the launch systems of individual customers is still “in progress”;
2. Shkval-M is an improved variation of the hydrojet torpedo missile, completed in 2010, with better range and warhead weight. The latter is increased to 350 kilograms, and the range is just over 13 km. Design work to improve weapons does not stop.
3. In 2013, an even more advanced one was designed - Shkval-M2. Both variations with the letter “M” are strictly classified; there is almost no information about them.

Foreign analogues

For a long time there were no analogues of the Russian hydrojet torpedo. Only in 2005 The German company presented a product called “Barracuda”. According to representatives of the manufacturer - Diehl BGT Defense, the new product is capable of moving from several higher speed due to increased supercavitation. "Barracuda" has undergone a number of tests, but its launch into production has not yet taken place.

In May 2014, the commander of the Iranian navy said that his branch of the military also has underwater torpedo weapons, which allegedly move at speeds of up to 320 km/h. However, no further information was received to confirm or refute this statement.

It is also known that there is an American underwater missile HSUW (High-Speed ​​Undersea Weapon), the operating principle of which is based on the phenomenon of supercavitation. But this development currently exists exclusively as a project. No foreign navy yet has a ready-made analogue of the Shkval in service.

Do you agree with the opinion that Squalls are practically useless in modern naval combat? What do you think about the rocket torpedo described here? Perhaps you have your own information about analogues? Share in the comments, we are always grateful for your feedback.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them

The first torpedoes differed from modern ones no less than a wheeled steam frigate from a nuclear aircraft carrier. In 1866, a stingray carried 18 kg of explosives over a distance of 200 m at a speed of about 6 knots. The shooting accuracy was below any criticism. By 1868, the use of coaxial propellers rotating in different directions made it possible to reduce the yaw of the torpedo in the horizontal plane, and the installation of a pendulum control mechanism for the rudders stabilized the depth of travel.

By 1876, Whitehead's brainchild was already sailing at a speed of about 20 knots and covering a distance of two cable lengths (about 370 m). Two years later, torpedoes had their say on the battlefield: Russian sailors used “self-propelled mines” to send the Turkish patrol steamer “Intibakh” to the bottom of the Batumi roadstead.

Submarine torpedo compartment
If you don’t know what destructive power the “fish” lying on the shelves have, you might not even guess. On the left are two torpedo tubes with open covers. The top one is not yet charged.

The further evolution of torpedo weapons until the middle of the 20th century boils down to an increase in the charge, range, speed and ability of torpedoes to stay on course. It is fundamentally important that for the time being the general ideology of the weapon remained exactly the same as in 1866: the torpedo was supposed to hit the target side and explode on impact.

Straight forward torpedoes remain in service to this day, periodically finding use during all sorts of conflicts. It was they who sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano in 1982, becoming the most famous victim of the Falklands War.

The English nuclear submarine Conqueror then fired three Mk-VIII torpedoes at the cruiser, which have been in service with the Royal Navy since the mid-1920s. The combination of a nuclear submarine and antediluvian torpedoes looks funny, but let’s not forget that by 1982 the cruiser built in 1938 had more museum value than military value.

A revolution in the torpedo business was made by the appearance in the middle of the 20th century of homing and telecontrol systems, as well as proximity fuses.

Modern systems homing (HOH) are divided into passive - “catching” physical fields created by the target, and active - searching for the target, usually using sonar. In the first case we're talking about most often about the acoustic field - the noise of screws and mechanisms.

Homing systems that locate the wake of a ship stand somewhat apart. The numerous small air bubbles remaining in it change the acoustic properties of the water, and this change is reliably “caught” by the torpedo sonar far behind the stern of the passing ship. Having recorded the trail, the torpedo turns in the direction of the target’s movement and searches, moving in a “snake”. Wake locating, the main method of homing torpedoes in the Russian fleet, is considered fundamentally reliable. True, a torpedo, forced to catch up with the target, wastes time and precious cable paths on this. And the submarine, in order to shoot “on the trail,” has to get closer to the target than would, in principle, be allowed by the torpedo’s range. This does not increase the chances of survival.

The second most important innovation was the torpedo remote control systems that became widespread in the second half of the 20th century. As a rule, the torpedo is controlled via a cable that unwinds as it moves.

The combination of controllability with a proximity fuse has made it possible to radically change the very ideology of using torpedoes - now they are focused on diving under the keel of the attacked target and exploding there.

Mine networks
The squadron battleship "Emperor Alexander II" during testing of the anti-mine network of the Bullivant system. Kronstadt, 1891
Catch her with a net!

The first attempts to protect ships from new threat were undertaken within a few years of its appearance. The concept looked simple: hinged shots were attached to the side of the ship, from which a steel net hung down to stop torpedoes.

When testing the new product in England in 1874, the network successfully repelled all attacks. Similar tests carried out in Russia a decade later gave a slightly worse result: the net, designed for a tensile strength of 2.5 tons, withstood five of the eight shots, but the three torpedoes that penetrated it became entangled with the propellers and were still stopped.

The most striking episodes in the biography of anti-torpedo nets relate to the Russian-Japanese War. However, by the beginning of World War I, the speed of torpedoes exceeded 40 knots, and the charge reached hundreds of kilograms. To overcome obstacles, special cutters began to be installed on torpedoes. In May 1915, the English battleship Triumph, which was shelling Turkish positions at the entrance to the Dardanelles, was, despite lowered nets, sunk by a single shot from a German submarine - a torpedo penetrated the defense. By 1916, the drop-down chain mail was perceived more as a useless weight than as protection.

(IMG:http://topwar.ru/uploads/posts/2011-04/1303281376_2712117058_5c8c8fd7bf_o_1300783343_full.jpg) Wall off

The energy of the blast wave quickly decreases with distance. It would be logical to place an armored bulkhead at some distance from the outer plating of the ship. If it can withstand the impact of the blast wave, then damage to the ship will be limited to flooding of one or two compartments, and the power plant, ammunition magazines and other vulnerable places will not be damaged.

Apparently, the idea of ​​a constructive PTZ was first put forward by the former chief builder of the English fleet, E. Reed, in 1884, but his idea was not supported by the Admiralty. In the designs of their ships, the British preferred to follow the traditional path at that time: dividing the hull into a large number of waterproof compartments and covering the engine and boiler rooms with coal pits located on the sides.
This system of protecting a ship from artillery shells was tested several times at the end of the 19th century and, on the whole, looked effective: coal piled in pits regularly “caught” the shells and did not catch fire.

The anti-torpedo bulkhead system was first implemented in the French fleet on the experimental battleship Henri IV, built according to the design of E. Bertin. The essence of the plan was to smoothly round the bevels of the two armored decks down, parallel to the side and at some distance from it. Bertin’s design did not see service in the war, and this was probably for the best - a caisson built according to this design, simulating the Henri compartment, was destroyed during testing by the explosion of a torpedo charge attached to the casing.

In a simplified form, this approach was implemented on the Russian battleship Tsesarevich, which was built in France and according to the same French design, as well as on the Borodino-class EDB, which copied the same project. As anti-torpedo protection, the ships received a longitudinal armored bulkhead 102 mm thick, spaced 2 m from the outer plating. This did not help the Tsarevich too much - having received a Japanese torpedo during the Japanese attack on Port Arthur, the ship spent several months under repair.

The English navy relied on coal pits until about the time the Dreadnought was built. However, an attempt to test this protection in 1904 ended in failure. The ancient armored ram “Belile” acted as a “guinea pig”. Outside, a cofferdam 0.6 m wide, filled with cellulose, was attached to its body, and six longitudinal bulkheads were erected between the outer casing and the boiler room, the space between which was filled with coal. The explosion of a 457-mm torpedo made a 2.5x3.5 m hole in this structure, demolished the cofferdam, destroyed all the bulkheads except the last one, and bulged the deck. As a result, the Dreadnought received armored screens that covered the cellars of the towers, and subsequent battleships were built with full-size longitudinal bulkheads along the length of the hull - the design idea came to a single solution.

Gradually, the design of the PTZ became more complex, and its size increased. Combat experience has shown that the main thing in constructive protection is depth, that is, the distance from the explosion site to the ship’s interiors covered by the protection. The single bulkhead was replaced by intricate designs consisting of several compartments. To move the “epicenter” of the explosion as far as possible, boules were widely used - longitudinal fittings mounted on the hull below the waterline.

One of the most powerful is considered to be the PTZ of the French Richelieu-class battleships, which consisted of an anti-torpedo and several dividing bulkheads that formed four rows of protective compartments. The outer one, which was almost 2 meters wide, was filled with foam rubber filler. Then came a row of empty compartments, followed by fuel tanks, then another row of empty compartments designed to collect fuel spilled during the explosion. Only after this the blast wave was to hit the anti-torpedo bulkhead, after which another row of empty compartments followed - to be sure to catch everything that had leaked. On the same type battleship "Jean Bar" the PTZ was reinforced with boules, as a result of which its total depth reached 9.45 m.

On the American battleships of the North Caroline type, the PTZ system was formed by a boule and five bulkheads - however, not from armor, but from ordinary shipbuilding steel. The boule cavity and the compartment following it were empty, the next two compartments were filled with fuel or sea water. The last, inner compartment was empty again.
In addition to protection from underwater explosions, numerous compartments could be used to level out the roll, flooding them as needed.

Needless to say, such a consumption of space and displacement was a luxury permissible only on the largest ships. The next series of American battleships (South Dacota) received a boiler-turbine installation of different dimensions - shorter and wider. And it was no longer possible to increase the width of the hull - otherwise the ships would not have passed through the Panama Canal. The result was a decrease in the depth of the PTZ.

Despite all the tricks, the defense always lagged behind the weapons. The PTZ of the same American battleships was designed for a torpedo with a 317-kilogram charge, but after their construction the Japanese began to have torpedoes with charges of 400 kg of TNT and more. As a result, the commander of the North Caroline, which was hit by a Japanese 533-mm torpedo in the fall of 1942, honestly wrote in his report that he never considered the ship’s underwater protection to be adequate to a modern torpedo. However, the damaged battleship then remained afloat.

Don't let you reach your goal

The advent of nuclear weapons and guided missiles radically changed views on the armament and protection of a warship. The fleet parted ways with multi-turret battleships. On the new ships, the place of gun turrets and armor belts was taken by missile systems and locators. The main thing was not to withstand the hit of an enemy shell, but simply to prevent it.

In a similar way, the approach to torpedo protection changed - although bulkheads did not disappear completely, they clearly faded into the background. The task of today's PTZ is to shoot down a torpedo on the correct course, confusing its homing system, or simply destroy it as it approaches the target.

The “gentleman’s set” of a modern PTZ includes several generally accepted devices. The most important of them are hydroacoustic countermeasures, both towed and fired. A device floating in water creates an acoustic field, or, simply put, noise. The noise from the propulsion system can confuse the homing system, either by imitating the noise of a ship (much louder than itself), or by “clogging” enemy hydroacoustics with interference. Thus, the American AN/SLQ-25 “Nixie” system includes torpedo diverters towed at speeds of up to 25 knots and six-barreled launchers for firing GPD means. This is accompanied by automation that determines the parameters of attacking torpedoes, signal generators, its own hydroacoustic systems and much more.

In recent years, there have been reports of the development of the AN/WSQ-11 system, which should provide not only suppression of homing devices, but also destruction by anti-torpedoes at a distance of 100 to 2000 m). A small anti-torpedo (caliber 152 mm, length 2.7 m, weight 90 kg, range 2–3 km) is equipped with a steam turbine power plant.

Tests prototypes have been carried out since 2004, and adoption is expected in 2012. There is also information about the development of a supercavitating anti-torpedo capable of reaching speeds of up to 200 knots, similar to the Russian Shkval, but there is practically nothing to tell about it - everything is carefully covered in a veil of secrecy.

Developments in other countries look similar. French and Italian aircraft carriers are equipped with the jointly developed SLAT PTZ system. The main element of the system is a towed antenna, which includes 42 radiating elements and side-mounted 12-tube devices for firing self-propelled or drifting Spartacus GPD vehicles. It is also known about the development of an active system that fires anti-torpedoes.

It is noteworthy that in a series of reports about various developments, no information has yet appeared about anything capable of knocking off course a torpedo following the wake of a ship.

In service Russian fleet Currently, the Udav-1M and Paket-E/NK anti-torpedo systems are in production. The first of them is designed to destroy or divert torpedoes attacking a ship. The complex can fire two types of projectiles. The 111CO2 deflector projectile is designed to divert the torpedo from the target.

111SZG defensive-depth shells make it possible to form a kind of minefield in the path of an attacking torpedo. At the same time, the probability of hitting a straight-line torpedo with one salvo is 90%, and a homing one is about 76. The “Package” complex is designed to destroy torpedoes attacking a surface ship with anti-torpedoes. Open sources say that its use reduces the probability of a ship being hit by a torpedo by about 3–3.5 times, but it seems likely that this figure was not tested in combat conditions, like all the others.