Originally posted by fd ski:
Wrong. It travels faster then sound under water - at this time there is no way to detect such a missle before it hits you on the bellybutton
Wrong, ShkVAL supercavitating torpedo is estimated to be some 350mph fast. Quite fast, but not quite as fast as the sound speed on the water.
Still, this weapon being launched is not more noisy than another torpedo. Flooding tubes,Opening doors,and firing a MK48 is going to give your position with all due security. The ShKVAL torpedo, for what I've read, is launched like any other torpedo, BUT is propelled by a rocket as soon as it leaves the tube to achieve the speed needed for the supercavitating effect to be achieved. This can be noisy, but launching a conventional is nonetheless very noisy too.
Regarding guidance, AFAIK, it has none. the ShKval is in fact a container, wich opens itself by a timed fuse set in the submarine, and drops a conventional active self-homing torpedo in the water. The standard tactic in submarine warfare is, IIRC, to shoot back at the general bearing of the torpedo being launched, then cut down the wires and start evasive moves. Uses to be effective because the sub wich has launched the torpedo then has something serious to worry about.
But ShkVal is a long-range weapon. You can fire it at ,say, 20 miles knowing that the conventional torpedo will be in the water in the very near range of the targetted submarine in less than four minutes, while if the enemy sub fires back at you, his torpedo will have to travel for HALF AN HOUR before reaching your position. At those ranges, the only way a torpedo can be effectively homed is with wire guidance, and if the enemy has to start evasive maneouvers (And will have to if he doesnt want to see his sub holed), he will have to cut the wires. I dont know wich is the range of the active sonar of a self-homing torpedo, but I'm quite sure that its not bigger than 5 miles.
I remember that some time ago in a sub simulator called "688" there was a missile wich could be launched near the surface to an enemy submarine contact. The missile dropped a torpedo near the contact zone, but also gave away your position to any ships on the near ranges. The Skhval is very much the same, but completely underwater (so avoiding the tactical disadvantage to having to go near the surface at low speed to launhc a missile, and also avoiding detection by nearby ships or helicopters).
This weapon is VERY dangerous. Mostly because for now seems that it is unique, and gives the russians a standoff weapon to sink enemy submarines..
