Missiles have longer range than torpedoes. But the ability to detect and shoot down missiles is much better. What to do? Combine their features.
The Navy has new air-launched torpedoes that keep the launching aircraft safe from fire:
The Navy has also developed accessories for its air-launched torpedoes, the lightweight Mk 54 which enables the torpedo to glide long distances before entering the water. The new accessory enables a maritime patrol aircraft to launch the torpedo from high altitude. The modified Mk 54 has pop-out wings, so the high-altitude torpedo can still be stored inside the aircraft bomb bay. When dropped, the wings pop out, an onboard computer uses GPS and tiny electric motors, to operate the wings and fins to guide the torpedo to a preprogrammed location, at which point the glide kit falls away as the torpedo enters the water and starts searching for the submarine.
The system can also be used for naval mines. But what about anti-ship torpedoes like my suggestion for ASuROC anti-ship torpedoes fired closer to the target through the air to avoid far stronger ship air defenses.
I thought mounting them on surface-hugging missiles would achieve that by being too low for air defenses to react before the torpedo goes in the water. The Tomahawk would be a good candidate given the "U.S. Navy is aware of the fact that the Tomahawk is not the ideal anti-ship missile."
But gliding from high altitude outside of missile defenses should work against surface targets as long as the torpedo payload has a long enough range once in its element, no?
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NOTE: The image is from Boeing.
