I caught a few snippets of news yesterday about an ‘Iranian Missile Test’ yesterday on the telly. The reports were light on details. I suspected it was some type of supercavitation weapon. My suspicion was correct. There is some speculation that the Iranian ‘Hoot’ missile is based on the Russian Shkval, a supercavitating torpedo that travels at over 200 knots (that’s over 230mph or 370kph for you landlubbers).

The benefits of such a fast weapon are obvious. Modern submarines such as the Virginia class have top speeds in the high 20s.

The aforementioned Shkval’s Wikipedia entry mentions that it is useful as a countermeasure to inbound torpedos. Many modern homing torpedos, such as the Mark 48 ADCAP, are wire-guided. Strategy dictates that when you detect in incoming torpedo it behooves you to launch your own torpedo down the same line of bearing of the incoming weapon in hopes that the attacker will be forced to cut their guidance wires and evade. From what little I’ve read, the attacker can lessen the risk of such tactics by launching torpedos in a different direction then turn them toward the target after they have attained a safe distance from the launch point. Apparently the initial versions of the Shkval were unguided, but there are rumors of a homing version. I’m curious as to what sensors are useful considering engine and flow noise at that speed. FAS’s entry on the Shkval mentions that the missile could, perhaps, slow down when it got near the estimated target area and home. This seems to undermine the weapon’s greatest apparent advantage: speed. Slowing to operative conventionally would make it vulnerable to conventional countermeasures such as noisemakers or the Nixie.

I’m a bit confused as to why this is news. I assume the western media needs to villify Iran more and weapons tests are a fine way to accomplish that.

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Posted at : April 3rd, 2006 - 8:48 am
Filed under : General, Useless Information, Weapons
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