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Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
January 9, 2006
Navy Eyeing Nontraditional Missiles For Submarines
The U.S. Navy said Jan. 5 that it pulled off a trial, land-based test of a Sidewinder AIM-9X air-to-air missile for potential submarine use.
The long-range research goal is to field any existing Defense Department missile aboard submarines quickly and at low cost.
The November test - supported by Raytheon Missile Systems - involved detecting, tracking and destroying an unmanned helicopter, which was not visible to the missile at its launch.
The Sidewinder is a good choice for research and development of small missile payloads for guided-missile submarines (SSGNs) and attack submarines (SSNs), the Navy said. The results can be applied to other missile payloads and different platforms such as the Littoral Combat Ship.
The next step is to analyze the vertical-launch thrust characteristics of gas production and temperature for encapsulation of the missile for an underwater test, according to the Navy.
"The 'encapsulation' technique will be the forerunner for deploying air breathing payloads like unmanned aerial vehicles from submarines in the future," said Capt. Mark Bock, program manager for the Navy's Undersea Defensive Systems Program Office.
The most mature encapsulation technology, the Stealthy Affordable Capsule System, will be used in the next phase of risk-reduction testing. This effort, led by the Northrop Grumman Corp., will try to perform a submerged launch of the AIM-9X from a submarine-like vertical launch system currently used for Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Navy officials have begun planning for in-water testing.
January 9, 2006
Navy Eyeing Nontraditional Missiles For Submarines
The U.S. Navy said Jan. 5 that it pulled off a trial, land-based test of a Sidewinder AIM-9X air-to-air missile for potential submarine use.
The long-range research goal is to field any existing Defense Department missile aboard submarines quickly and at low cost.
The November test - supported by Raytheon Missile Systems - involved detecting, tracking and destroying an unmanned helicopter, which was not visible to the missile at its launch.
The Sidewinder is a good choice for research and development of small missile payloads for guided-missile submarines (SSGNs) and attack submarines (SSNs), the Navy said. The results can be applied to other missile payloads and different platforms such as the Littoral Combat Ship.
The next step is to analyze the vertical-launch thrust characteristics of gas production and temperature for encapsulation of the missile for an underwater test, according to the Navy.
"The 'encapsulation' technique will be the forerunner for deploying air breathing payloads like unmanned aerial vehicles from submarines in the future," said Capt. Mark Bock, program manager for the Navy's Undersea Defensive Systems Program Office.
The most mature encapsulation technology, the Stealthy Affordable Capsule System, will be used in the next phase of risk-reduction testing. This effort, led by the Northrop Grumman Corp., will try to perform a submerged launch of the AIM-9X from a submarine-like vertical launch system currently used for Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Navy officials have begun planning for in-water testing.
