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Anti-submarine aircraft traditionally need to get relatively close to the area where a submarine is believed to be operating before deploying a torpedo. That can limit where the aircraft can release its weapon and potentially expose a valuable crewed or unmanned platform to hostile air defenses. A new U.S. Navy concept aims to separate the aircraft from the underwater engagement by giving the torpedo an extended airborne journey before it ever touches the sea.
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has issued a Request for Information for Silent Anvil, a next-generation standoff air-launched torpedo system designed for both crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
The Navy is considering two configurations. The first would be a fully integrated weapon capable of handling the entire sequence from release through flight, water entry and underwater engagement.
The alternative is an unpowered glide-wing kit carrying a government-provided torpedo. After release, deployable wings and a guidance system would allow the package to glide toward the designated area without requiring an aircraft engine or rocket motor. Once it reaches its release point, the torpedo would enter the water and use its own propulsion and acoustic sensing to search for and engage the target.
According to Interesting Engineering, the Navy wants the complete weapon to remain unusually compact. Requirements call for a maximum weight of 122 kilograms, a length no greater than 1.78 meters and a diameter of approximately 19.05 cm. Its dimensions are intended to resemble the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb.
Silent Anvil would need to launch at speeds between Mach 0.25 and Mach 0.85 and from altitudes reaching 18.2 kms. It would also be compatible with the BRU-61/A bomb rack and existing Navy mission-planning applications.
An important design objective is maximizing time in the air while minimizing time in the water. Airborne gliding is considerably faster than underwater torpedo travel, so delivering the weapon closer to the submarine’s predicted position could shorten the final engagement and give the target less time to move away.
That capability could become particularly useful with unmanned aircraft. Long-endurance drones could patrol large maritime areas and deploy anti-submarine weapons without requiring a crewed aircraft to approach the suspected contact.
The Navy has not specified a required standoff range and is asking industry to determine what is realistically achievable within the size and weight constraints.
It remains an acquisition concept rather than a fielded weapon. NAVAIR is seeking an end-to-end prototype demonstration within 18 months of an agreement award, followed by up to 180 prototype all-up rounds within three years.
If developed successfully, the concept could change the geometry of airborne anti-submarine warfare: instead of carrying the aircraft to the torpedo’s launch point, wings would carry the torpedo much of the way there.
