Honeywell/Alliant Mk 46 Mod 1/2/5 324mm LWT

Kaliber 324 mm (12,75 tommer)
Længde 2,60 m
Mål ubåde
Målsøgning aktiv/passiv
Rækkevidde 11 km ved 40 knob
Sprænghoved 44 kg PBXN HE
Dybgang 365+ m
Fart 28+ knob (51,52 km/t)

Belgien

Canada

Grækenland

Holland

Italien

Portugal

Spanien

Tyrkiet

Tyskland

USA



The Mk-46 torpedo is designed to attack high performance submarines, and is presently identified as the NATO standard. The MK-46 Mod 5 torpedo is the backbone of the Navy's lightweight ASW torpedo inventory and is expected to remain in service until the year 2015.

The MK-46 torpedo is designed to be launched from surface combatant torpedo tubes, ASROC missiles and fixed and rotary wing aircraft. In 1989, a major upgrade program began to enhance the performance of the MK-46 Mod 5 in shallow water. Weapons incorporating these improvements are identified as Mod 5A and Mod 5A(S).

General Characteristics, MK-46 MOD 5
Primary Function: Air and ship-launched lightweight torpedo
Contractor: Alliant Techsystems
Power Plant: Two-speed, reciprocating external combustion; Mono-propellant (Otto fuel II) fueled
Length: 102.36 in. tube launch configuration (from ship)
Weight: 517.65 lbs (warshot configuration)
Range: 8,000 yards
Depth: Greater than 1,200 ft (365.76 meters)
Speed: Greater than 28 knots (32.2 mph, 51.52 kph)
Guidance System: Homing mode: Active or passive/active acoustic homing
Launch/search mode: Snake or circle search
Warhead: 98 lbs. of PBXN-103 high explosive (bulk charge)
Date Deployed: 1966 (Mod 0); 1979 (Mod 5)
 
 


Torpedoes: Mark 46, Mark 48, Mark 50

Description: Self-propelled guided projectile that operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target.

Features: Torpedoes may be launched from submarines, surface ships, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. They are also used as parts of other weapons; the Mark 46 torpedo becomes the warhead section of the ASROC (Anti-Submarine ROCket) and the Captor mine uses a submerged sensor platform that releases a torpedo when a hostile contact is detected. The three major torpedoes in the Navy inventory are the Mark 48 heavyweight torpedo, the Mark 46 lightweight and the Mark 50 advanced lightweight.

IDR 3/87: Verdensmarkedet for letvægsttorpedoer har traditionelt set været domineret af de amerikansk udviklede Mk44 og Mk46 modeller, mens den italienske A.244/S, den svenske Tp423/427-serie samt en række af franske våben har etableret sig selv i specialiserede nicher.Honeywell har produceret mere end 17.000 Mk46 torpedoer for i alt 21 flåder. Den nuværende Mod5 version blev i første omgang produceret i form af et ombygningssæt, anvendeligt til de oprindelige Mod1 og Mod2, under betegnelsen NEARTIP (Near-Term Improvement Program), men har siden 1981 været standard produktionsversionen. Blandt andre forbedringer introducerde den et nyt styringssystem samt et fremdriftsystem med 2 hastigheder. Mk46 forbliver fast etableret i produktion, hvor Honeywell ifølge de nuværende kontrakter skal levere torpedoer frem til 1989, hvor den nye Mk50 formodes at være til rådighed (se herunder), og våbnet forventes at forblive i brug ved den amerikanske flåde frem til mindst 2010. Desuden forudser Honeywell, at Mod 5 vil forblive i produktion frem til sltuningen af dette årtusinde i kraft af internationale salg. Desuden bliver produktions- og testfaciliteter moderniseret for at reducere omkostninger og forbedre pålideligheden.