"Keith Willshaw" wrote:


"Eunometic" wrote in message
. com...
"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
news:colm61$gr5$1

The site refered to at the begining of the thread refers to a switch
from solid propellant to liquid propulsion. This would appear to give
several advantages.

1 Higher specific impulse therfore speed and range.

And considerable increase in risk, liquid propellants in
the torpedo room - shudders !

2 The rocket-torpedo can be ejected from its own tube: manouever and
aligne itself towards the target at low speed by varying its thrust
and then accelerate at high speed rather than relying on a propellor
based system to achieve initial alignment.

Throttlable rocket engines are considerably more complex
and the risk to the launcher just went up again.

3 After having intercepted its target at high speed it can slow down
for a 'look' using its terminal homing system and then re-alinge and
re-accelerate.


Not without turning off the gas generator for the supercavitation

I also can see why the system can't use a trailing wire command
guidence systemn as conventional torpedos and missiles use. It may
have uses as a torpedo intercept system.


That wire would trail behind the torpedo where the rocket exhaust is

Oops

Keith

Do torps really use trailing wire guidance now?...they sure
didn't when I was involved in ASW between 1951 and 77. Matter of
fact I never heard of that before, (although some 'missiles' do).
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)