Barracuda torpedo and IDAS (Barracuda zoom)

The Superkavitierender Unterwasserlaufkörper (lit. ''Supercavitating Underwater Running Body,'' formerly known as Barracuda) was a German close-range

supercavitating torpedo A supercavitating torpedo is a torpedo using the effect of supercavitation to create a bubble around the torpedo to move at high velocity under water. The following is a list of supercavitating torpedoes which have been developed or are in developme ...

technology demonstrator A technology demonstration (or tech demo), also known as demonstrator model, is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a conceivable product or future system, put together as proof of concept with the primary purpose of ...

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...

. The

for a "close-range defense of underwater targets" was presented to the public in 2005 as a prototype, but it never went into development and procurement. This form of torpedo solves the problem of high underwater drag by means of the

supercavitation Supercavitation is the use of a cavitation bubble to reduce skin friction drag on a submerged object and enable high speeds. Applications include torpedoes and propellers, but in theory, the technique could be extended to an entire underwater v ...

effect, where underwater at a velocity of around 180 km/h a cavity filled with steam surrounds the moving object. Only the tip is in contact with the water, as such the frictional resistance is greatly reduced. The propulsion of such a torpedo can no longer be done by a propeller but requires a

rocket engine A rocket engine uses stored rocket propellants as the reaction mass for forming a high-speed propulsive jet of fluid, usually high-temperature gas. Rocket engines are reaction engines, producing thrust by ejecting mass rearward, in accordanc ...

. To steer, this torpedo has a pivoting head segment. If the torpedo rises or falls, the

water pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

acting on it also changes, and the cavitation bubble changes. When sinking, the water pressure increases and the bubble is compressed; when the torpedo rises, the pressure drops and the bubble gets bigger. In order to keep the bubble intact with increasing water pressure, additional gas is pumped into the bladder. According to the manufacturer, the torpedo reaches a speed of over 400 km/h underwater and is steerable. It is not dependent on the launch from

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s but can dive into the water from the air and continue its supercavitation trip from there.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Superkavitierender Unterwasserlaufkorper Torpedoes of Germany Supercavitating torpedoes

See also

References