Even in the current era of missile victory, torpedoes occupy a fairly important position.
After all, whether in terms of stealth or power, torpedoes can often play the role of "four or two pounds". Moreover, the defense network woven by ships is mostly concentrated above the surface, and the protection against water is still relatively weak.
Countries also have their own ideas on underwater defense against torpedoes, but it seems that kinetic killing interception is one of the mainstream trends in the future.
1. Passive anti-torpedo technology
Early torpedo technology was relatively simple and could only sail close to the surface. For this dumb torpedo, only a mesh obstacle needs to be set up.
In the past, after the ships were moored in the military port, a mine-protection net had to be laid in the outer waters, which was to prevent the opposing submarines from sneaking into the military port, and then launching torpedoes to sink the warships in the harbor.
For example, the British battleship "Royal Oak", which weighed 33,000 tons, was successful in the German submarine attack because of loopholes in the anti-submarine net and mine protection net.
In World War II, torpedo technology underwent a step of innovation, with the emergence of self-guided torpedoes and wire-guided torpedoes.
Self-guided torpedoes can automatically search, track, and attack warships for sounds or wakes as they travel.
In addition to the functions of self-guided torpedoes, radio control functions have been added. After the firing unit fires the torpedo, it can complete the attack by remote control.
It can be said that modern torpedoes are no longer the "aiming, launching" mode of the Sino-Japanese naval battle we see, modern torpedoes are equivalent to underwater explosive robots, after remote casting, secretly sneaking near the target, and then suddenly attacking, people are unpreventable. Even if the first round of attack was unsuccessful, the torpedo could make a second attempt.
For modern torpedoes, countries are delving into various anti-torpedo jammers. For example, it can make strong noises and interfere with the torpedo's ability to "listen to the sound and identify positions"; Or put chemicals in the water to create bubble curtains, disrupt torpedoes to receive radio signals, etc.
However, for a long time, navies have been passive in their defense against torpedoes. To give a figurative example, similar to the jamming bombs released by the fighter after being locked by the missile or the super maneuver, it is a passive defense type.
From the perspective of the development of modern military technology, the active defense system of various equipment platforms is the mainstream of the future.
2. Active anti-torpedo technology
At present, the more mature active anti-torpedo system in the early stage is the ATTDS system installed on the US aircraft carrier. The system is divided into two phases, the first is early warning and the second is active attack.
When ATTDS detects an incoming torpedo, the system will automatically alarm and calculate the threat and expected trajectory through the analysis of the incoming torpedo. The active attack system then releases 171 mm anti-torpedo missiles to destroy incoming torpedoes by kinetic impact or self-explosion, thereby ensuring the safety of the aircraft carrier itself.
But the seemingly advanced system disappeared from U.S. carriers in 2014. In the end, the reason is mainly that the early warning system estimates the data of incoming torpedoes, and relies heavily on the data of various types of torpedoes stored in the database.
The ATTDS system is useless to store torpedo models of the United States and NATO allies, it requires some torpedo data from imaginary enemy countries. Obviously, these data are top secret and cannot be actively declared to the United States. After several simulations, the United States lost patience with the ATTDS system and had to hastily retire it.
At present, the most successful active anti-torpedo technology depends on Germany. Germany's thyssenkrupp Marine Systems has developed an anti-torpedo system called "Sea Spider".
The Sea Spider system consists of a digital sonar that listens to the depths of the ocean in both passive and active modes. The computer analyzes the signal and filters out the interference caused by the waves and ships to determine whether torpedoes are present in the remaining signal.
So far, the logic of this system is the first. It changed the logic of the ATTDS system, which relied heavily on torpedo data, and German designers tried to convince everyone that this "de-fake" method could make all kinds of torpedoes impossible to hide.
After the torpedo is found, the system calculates the position of the torpedo and the interception point. At present, in order to increase the accuracy of sonar discrimination, the "Sea Spider" has put the interception point of the torpedo in the short-range defense circle.
Its attack part is a 2-meter-long cigar-shaped projectile with an internal division of 4 compartments, containing nozzles and rudders, and the data on the tail compartment is strictly guarded. After the missile is launched, an ultra-high pressure is generated using the combustion chamber, and gas is ejected from the nozzle to form thrust.
This method of propulsion is very fast, which is the main reason why the "Sea Spider" dared to put the torpedo closer to hit. According to data published in Germany, it only takes a few seconds from launch to destruction.
At present, the first generation of "Sea Spider" requires a special launcher, which can only be installed on warships. There may be a special launch box in the future, which will save space on the ship. A submarine-launched version for submarines will also be available. The navies of the United States, Great Britain and other countries have shown great interest in the "sea spider".
The kinetic energy killing interception system can be called the Navy's active defense system against torpedoes, and it is bound to force torpedoes to appear sharper in the future. This will trigger a new round of competition between "spear" and "shield", like active defense systems in other fields.