Mark 46 torpedo

Mark 46 torpedo
A Mk 46 exercise torpedo launched from USS Moosbrugger.
Type	Lightweight anti-submarine torpedo[1]
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	• Mod 0: 1963[1] • Mod 5: 1979
Used by	See operators
Production history
Designer	Naval Ordnance Test Station Pasadena[1] Aerojet[1] Alliant Techsystems
Designed	1960[1]
Manufacturer	Aerojet[1] Naval Ordnance Station Forest Park Honeywell Raytheon[2]
Variants	Mod 0[1] Mod 1 Mod 2 Mod 5 Mod 5A Mod 5A(S) Mod 5A(SW)[2]
Specifications
Mass	508 lb (230 kg)
Length	8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Diameter	12.75 in (323.8 mm)
Warhead	PBXN-103 high explosive (bulk charge)
Warhead weight	96.8 lb (43.9 kg)
Engine	Two-speed, reciprocating external combustion
Propellant	Otto fuel II
Operational range	12,000 yd (11,000 m)
Maximum depth	>1,200 ft (370 m)
Maximum speed	>40 kn (74 km/h; 46 mph)
Guidance system	Active or passive/active acoustic homing
Launch platform	Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes, ASW Aircraft, RUM-139 VL-ASROC

The Mark 46 torpedo is the backbone of the United States Navy's lightweight anti-submarine warfare torpedo inventory and is the NATO standard. These aerial torpedoes are designed to attack high-performance submarines. In 1989, an improvement program for the Mod 5 to the Mod 5A and Mod 5A(S) increased its shallow-water performance. The Mark 46 was initially developed as Research Torpedo Concept I (RETORC I), one of several weapons recommended for implementation by Project Nobska, a 1956 summer study on submarine warfare.^[3]