53-65 torpedo
Encyclopedia
The 53-65 torpedo
family are Russian made, wake-homing torpedo
es designed to destroy surface ship
s. The 53-65 became operational in 1965, while the 53-65K and 53-65M both became operational in 1969. The 53-65KE is an exported version. They are members of the Type 53 torpedo
s.
China received an unknown number of 53-65KE torpedoes from Russia after purchasing 4 Kilo class submarines in the 1990s.
Instead of using active or passive homing as other torpedoes do, the 53-65 torpedoes use wake homing, which, upon finding the wake of a ship, turns to follow the wake to guide itself to the ship. The torpedoes have no way of telling which way the target ship is headed when they reach the wake, so they aren't as effective as other means of homing. To date, there have been no reports of a countermeasure that can confuse these torpedoes, making them very successful when they do home on to a ship.
The Royal Navy
's fascination with Trimaran
vessels, with trimaran hulls at one time even being proposed for its new aircraft carriers, may be in part due to the desire to reduce the wake of their ships and their vulnerability to wake homing torpedoes.
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
family are Russian made, wake-homing torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es designed to destroy surface ship
Surface ship
A surface ship is any type of naval ship that is confined to the surface of the sea. The term is primarily used to mean any modern vessel type that is not a submarine; although a "surface ship" may range in size from a cutter to an aircraft carrier, the weapons and tactics have some commonality,...
s. The 53-65 became operational in 1965, while the 53-65K and 53-65M both became operational in 1969. The 53-65KE is an exported version. They are members of the Type 53 torpedo
Type 53 torpedo
Type 53 is the common name for a family of 53 cm torpedoes manufactured in Russia, starting with the 53-27 torpedo and continuing to the modern UGST....
s.
China received an unknown number of 53-65KE torpedoes from Russia after purchasing 4 Kilo class submarines in the 1990s.
Specifications
- Primary function: High explosive torpedoTorpedoThe modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
for sinking surface shipSurface shipA surface ship is any type of naval ship that is confined to the surface of the sea. The term is primarily used to mean any modern vessel type that is not a submarine; although a "surface ship" may range in size from a cutter to an aircraft carrier, the weapons and tactics have some commonality,...
s - Power plant:
- 53-65 and 53-65M: Kerosene-hydrogen peroxide turbineTurbineA turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
- 53-65K: Kerosene-oxygen turbineTurbineA turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
- 53-65 and 53-65M: Kerosene-hydrogen peroxide turbine
- Length: 23.6 ft (7.2 m)
- Weight: 4,563 lb–4,630 lb (2,070 kg–2,300 kg)
- Diameter: 21 in (533 mm)
- Range:
- 53-65: 18000 metre
- 53-65K: 19000 metre
- 53-65M: 22000 metre
- Speed:
- 53-65 and 53-65K: 45 kt (52 mi/h, 83 km/h)
- 53-65M: 44 kt (51 mi/h, 81 km/h)
- Guidance system: Wake-homing
- Warhead: 661 lb (300 kg) high explosive
- Operational since:
- 53-65: 1965
- 53-65K and 53-65M: 1969
Instead of using active or passive homing as other torpedoes do, the 53-65 torpedoes use wake homing, which, upon finding the wake of a ship, turns to follow the wake to guide itself to the ship. The torpedoes have no way of telling which way the target ship is headed when they reach the wake, so they aren't as effective as other means of homing. To date, there have been no reports of a countermeasure that can confuse these torpedoes, making them very successful when they do home on to a ship.
The Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's fascination with Trimaran
Trimaran
A trimaran is a multihulled boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls , attached to the main hull with lateral struts...
vessels, with trimaran hulls at one time even being proposed for its new aircraft carriers, may be in part due to the desire to reduce the wake of their ships and their vulnerability to wake homing torpedoes.