Ask anything Thread
- Thread starter Jeff Head
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I'm sure this has been asked before somewhere, but why haven't there been any successful torpedo interceptors? It seems like torpedoes travel relatively slowly and should be relatively easy to detect at least by active sonars that interception should be possible. I see that this has attempted before, but anyone knows why such a system hasn't been viable?
There definitely are anti-torpedo 'hard-kill' interceptors in service with the major navies, together with both active and passive high-frequency sonars that are specifically calibrated to detect incoming torpdoes. The interceptors are generally light torpedoes themselves, and are often dual purpose ASW and anti-torpedo torpedoes. For example, the Russian Paket-NK torpedo system is intended for that purpose. I am not sure what you mean by successful or viable - if by battle-tested, then probably not, and the same can be said about most of the modern naval technology, because there has not been any recent naval wars between technologically equivalent adversaries. People who say that Western naval techs have been battle-tested usually have no idea what they are talking about.
Thanks for the info! By successful, I mean almost 100% intercept rate. It just seems like such an easy thing to do that Torpedoes really should be a thing of the past. This is because part of what makes intercepting missiles so difficult is the speed involved, particularly if the missile can perform evasive maneuvers. The ability to do extremely quick and precise maneuvers is not really necessary for a torpedo interceptor, so shouldn't interception rates be ridiculously high as to make torpedoes essentially obsolete?
Who knows what the rate is, what's more, since something like a torpedo inceptor can be made nowadays, then torpedos will ofc be upgraded with measures to prevent getting intercepted.
And then we get a shield/spear scenario or more like missile/anti-missile situation.
I'm going to assume this is not trolling post.
The development path is in fact the exact opposite to what you described.
The land based DF-21 Series missiles were derived from PLAN's first generation JL-1 SLBM design carried on the Type 092 Class SSBN. The missile had started out as a SLBM of inadequate performance, but had morphed into a successful land based MRBM design. If future PLAN SSGN were to carry such class of missiles, it would likely be based on designs closely related to the new mystery ballistic missile launched from Type 055 we observed a little while ago.
Btw, DF-21D is in fact old news. PLARF has already moved on standardize its ASBM system on the DF-26 series missiles. It is possibly no longer acquiring additional DF-21Ds at this point.
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Do we know if the PLAN conducts full ship shock tests prior to commissioning?