For clarity, we can consider an example of TPK developed by foreign engineers, designed to place small-sized PNAs on board submarines (super-small torpedoes with a diameter of 5 inches (124 mm)), we can cite a system designed by HDW (Germany) and Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (Italy). This system has been developed since 1998 for the use of A200 type torpedoes (Fig. 3) and ultra-small Sea Pike torpedoes (Fig. 4).
Figure 3 – Longitudinal dimension of the Italian A200 mini torpedo
Figure 4 – Longitudinal section of the German mini-torpedo “Sea Pike”
This system is primarily intended for anti-torpedo protection of submarines. The main idea was that this system, integrated into the automated combat control system, would be in constant readiness regardless of the tasks performed by the submarine and would not impose any restrictions on the movement of the boat.
Tactical and technical requirements for TPK are formed on the basis of a systematic approach, which provides for a comprehensive consideration and consideration of the operating conditions of TPK in the triad “UV – launch system – carrier”, functioning in a single external environment.
A systematic approach to the design of launch systems implies separate attention to various issues, such as: placement and storage of NVs on a carrier from the moment it is delivered to the moment of launch; ensuring the protection of devices from dynamic effects, including from nearby explosions; data exchange with the device (dialogue) in the processes of preparation for launch and testing; protection of NPA from environmental influences (corrosion). Naturally, the main factors influencing the design features of the launcher are the conditions under which their stable operation should be ensured. As an example of the basic requirements for launchers, one can cite similar requirements for the previously mentioned launchers for outboard weapons for submarines. Such devices must meet the following requirements:
speed;
autonomy;
stability of work regardless of external conditions;
modularity;
secrecy of application;
minimization of weight and size characteristics;
manufacturability;
low cost.
The speed of launchers is determined by the need to immediately respond to an emerging threat to the safety of submarines or the tactical need for the rapid use of weapons. Based on the analysis of possible threats to the safety of the submarine, it can be noted that the time from the moment of detection and classification of an enemy underwater object to the exit of the UUV beyond the cut of the launch tube of the installation should not exceed a few seconds. Such a limited time predetermines the “wet” storage of the product in a liquid medium under external hydrostatic pressure, since in this case it is not necessary to fill the internal volume of the launch tube with water and equalize the pressure in it with the external environment to launch the weapon.
The autonomy of the outboard weapons modules is dictated by the number of modules and their location. According to experts, in order to achieve a sufficient probability of repulsing one torpedo attacking a boat, it is necessary to counter it with up to five small-caliber anti-torpedoes. Thus, in order to ensure the normal combat capability of submarines in the conditions of modern submarine warfare, the total number of self-defense equipment and mini-weapons (NLA) located in transport-launch modules on board should be at least several dozen units. Since these modules are located outside the strong hull of the submarine (possible locations on submarines are shown in Fig. 56), one of the important requirements is to minimize their size. This makes it practically impractical to create a separate power system to ensure the launch of products located in the modules, due to the fact that such a system will take up additional space and will be highly branched due to the number of modules, and in addition, it must be permanently installed on the submarine which will require additional maintenance and monitoring of its condition. Based on the foregoing, it can be concluded that it is advisable to carry out the energy required to launch the product from the outboard module individually and independently for each weapon module, or, in some cases, common to a separate group of modules.
Given the above, one of the important requirements for outboard weapons modules is the stability of their work, regardless of external conditions. This requirement implies the inclusion in each module of a special device that ensures the launch of uninhabited vehicles with the output speed necessary for its accident-free separation. If compressed air is used to start the weapon, such a device can be made in the form of a valve, by automatically adjusting the opening of the passage section of which it is possible to regulate the air flow from the receiver, and, accordingly, the power impulse applied to the product, sufficient to achieve the required output speed.
The creation of underwater mini-weapons is due to the need to increase the combat capabilities and stability of submarines with the “compensation” for the weaknesses of traditional weapons with a large number of their ultra-small samples. The latter circumstance puts forward and makes relevant the previously considered task of creating a system of interchangeable interchangeable outboard weapon modules. The implementation of this approach in the design of submarines will achieve maximum flexibility in its operation, savings in supplies and construction, in the pace of improvement and modernization.
The secrecy of the use of weapons is also one of the necessary characteristics of the considered launchers. When using compressed air energy to start a product, secrecy, first of all, means preventing the exit of used air after the product into the environment. The use of a bubbleless torpedo firing system (BTS) for outboard weapons modules is not advisable, since this will lead to an increase in the volume occupied by the modules, additional difficulties in their installation and maintenance, and also to the need to ensure the adjustment of their work depending on the parameters of the submarine movement. For outboard weapons modules that are not rechargeable during a submarine combat campaign, it is most expedient to use a pneumatic piston launcher scheme.
It was previously noted that the minimization of the weight and size characteristics of the modules is due to their outboard location. This is determined by the fact that the volumes allocated for the location of such launchers on submarines (and on large ROVs) are architecturally limited. The requirements for minimizing the size of replaceable modules are also being tightened based on the need to place the largest possible number of them to increase the combat capability of the submarine. The need to locate the modules in different parts of the boat’s hull also plays a role in order to minimize the time for parrying an attacking weapon, depending on the trajectory of its movement.
Thus, the requirements for manufacturability and low cost of outboard weapons modules follow from their functional purpose. Naturally, the cost of a module supplied to the fleet directly depends on the complexity of its manufacture and the materials used. Due to the fact that the number of modules placed on the submarine is estimated at dozens of units, and each of them can be used once during a military campaign, their cost should be an order of magnitude lower compared to traditional weapons. Based on the foregoing, the use of modern materials and technologies in the production of starting devices, as well as the simplification of their designs, are priority areas for design development.