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| RUR-5 ASROC | |
|---|---|
 ASROC Launcher |
|
| Type | Standoff Anti-Submarine |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1961[1] |
| Used by | United States Navy and others |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Honeywell[1] |
| Unit cost | Approximately $350,000 (less torpedo payload) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1073 lb (488 kg)[1] |
| Length | 14.75 ft (4.5 m)[1] |
| Diameter | 16.6 in (422 mm) |
|
|
|
| Warhead | Mark 46 torpedo, 96.8 lb (44 kg)[1] of PBXN-103 high explosive; 10kt W44 Nuclear Warhead (Retired) |
| Detonation mechanism |
Payload Specific |
|
|
|
| Engine | Solid propellant rocket motor[1] |
| Wingspan | 26 7/8 in (683 mm) |
| Operational range |
12 nm (22 km)[1] |
| Speed | Subsonic |
| Guidance system |
Inertial guidance |
| Launch platform |
Surface Ship |
ASROC (for Anti-Submarine ROCket) is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed on over 200 USN surface ships, specifically cruisers, destroyers, and frigates. The ASROC has been deployed on scores of warships of many other navies, including Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of China, Greece, Pakistan and others.[2]
Contents |
Description
After a surface ship, patrol plane or anti-submarine helicopter detects an enemy submarine by using sonar and/or other sensors, it could relay the sub's position to an ASROC-equipped ship for attack. The attacking ship would then fire an ASROC missile carrying an acoustic homing torpedo or a Nuclear Depth Bomb (NDB) onto an unguided ballistic trajectory toward the target. At a pre-determined point on the missile's trajectory, the payload separates from the missile and deploys a parachute to permit splashdown and water entry at a low speed and with minimum detectable noise. The water entry activates the torpedo, and guided by its own sonar system, it homes in on the target using either active sonar or passive sonar.
In cases where the ASROC missile carried an NDB, the unguided bomb would sink quickly to a predetermined depth where it would detonate. The nuclear-armed ASROC was never used beyond one or two tests in 1961-62. Eventually the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty banning underwater nuclear tests went into effect. The nuclear weapon was never used in combat. An ASROC missile could hypothetically carry a 10 kiloton W44 nuclear warhead, although the W44-armed nuclear weapons were retired by 1989, and all types of nuclear depth bombs were removed from deployment.[2]
The first ASROC system (RUR-5), using the MK-112 "Matchbox" launcher, was developed in the 1950s and installed in the 1960s. This system was phased out in the 1990s and replaced with the RUM-139 Vertical Launch ASROC, or "VLA".[2]
The Spruance Class Destroyer Installations
The thirty-one U.S. Navy Spruance-class destroyers were all built in the shipyard with the Mark 112 ASROC launcher and reload system. These had one standard Mark 16 octuple ASROC launcher, but in addition, this was located adjacent to a deckhouse that held 16 reload missiles. (Two complete reloads of eight missiles apiece) Thus, each Spruance-class destroyer originally carried a total of 24 ASROC.[3]
Most other U.S. Navy and allied navy destroyers, destroyer escorts, frigates, and several different classes of cruisers, such as the Virginia-class, only carried the one ASROC launcher with up to eight ASROC missiles, as some of those missiles could be replaced by the Harpoon (missile) anti-ship missile. The "matchbook" Mk 16 launchers were capable of carrying a mixture of the two types. Most Spruance-class destroyers were later modified to include the MK-41 VLS, these launchers are capable of carrying a mixture of the VLS-ASROC, the Tomahawk TLAM, and other missiles. All of the Spruance destroyers carried two separate quad Harpoon launchers.
See also
References
External links
- http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/vla.htm
- http://www.gyrodynehelicopters.com/asroc.htm
- http://designation-systems.net/dusrm/r-5.html
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