Mk24 Tigerfish
| In service | 1973 | Range | 27NM @ 24kts 21NM @ 35kts |
Homing | Wire guidance and acoustic homing |
| Dimensions | 646cm x 53.3cm | Weight | 1550kg | Speed | 50kts |
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Marconi's Tigerfish proved unreliable when first introduced with a hit rate of some 40%. An upgrade
programme improved the weapon significantly to a hit rate of 80%. The torpedo has been licence
built by Chile for their own use and for the Brazilian and Venezuelan navies.
The torpedo is powered by silver-zinc batteries and carries a 340kg Torpex warhead. |
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Spearfish
| In service | 1980 | Range | 13NM @ 70kts | Homing | Wire guidance and acoustic homing |
| Dimensions | 700cm x 53.3cm | Weight | 1850kg | Speed | 70kts |
| Spearfish was designed by Marconi as a replacement for the much slower Tigerfish. Much about the weapon is still secret, including the homing system. It is powered by an Otto gas turbine, using a chemical oxygen generator together with HAP (Hydrogen Ammonium Perchlorate) fuel. A pump jet is used to propel the torpedo, which carries a 300kg shaped charge warhead. The Spearfish is the main weapon of the Royal Navys submarines. | |||||
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Spearfish being loaded onto a trolley | ||||
