Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!pacbell!amdahl!amdcad!military
From: gt0818a%prism@gatech.edu (Paul E. Robichaux)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Anti-torpedo warfare
Message-ID: <27042@amdcad.AMD.COM>
Date: 31 Aug 89 09:38:37 GMT
Sender: cdr@amdcad.AMD.COM
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
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Approved: military@amdcad.amd.com



From: gt0818a%prism@gatech.edu (Paul E. Robichaux)

In a recent issue of _Defense News_, I saw a small article claiming that the
Navy is planning to offer contracts for antitorpedo systems. Presumably these
would be carried on board subs (since New London was listed as the project
office) and used to somehow kill or spoof incoming torpedos.

I thought about it, but couldn't convince myself that an active system would be
much use. The British dropped something like 85% of their torpedos on false
contacts, and a common tactic of US ASW is to drop a torpedo just to see what
the other guy does.

Any passive system would probably be pretty useless; non-violence doesn't
work too well against R533s.

So what does that leave them with? How can a sub defend itself against torpedo
attacks? (invisibility and getting the first shot aside) Are these systems
likely to be useful? Would their activation increase the likelihood of enemy
ASW being able to fix their location?

Enquiring minds want to know.

-Paul


-- 
Paul E. Robichaux                  |"Collateral damage is the number of women
Georgia Institute of Technology    | and children you kill when attempting to do
GT PO Box 30818; Atlanta, GA 30332 | something else."- Cap Weinberger.
Internet: gt0818a@prism.gatech.edu |   All opinions in this message are mine.