Originally posted by Harlequin
persoanlly i rate the Spearfish - something about 81 knots and a range of 30+ miles
as better than the mk-48ADCAP

Originally posted by Mehran
Some of you guys have not seen the missile being tested but this is a video forum a different forum. it is a big accomplishment for us making our own missiles and one that is like this makes me proud of my country . it is so fast that not even the camera man could keep it up with it. Correct me if im wrong but iran is the second nation to have missiles like this and the only one in the world that re-engineered VA-111 shkval. Like i said Iran in missile technology is more advanced than any other middle east country.

Link

Iran says fires sonar-evading, underwater missile

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has test-fired a sonar-evading underwater missile that can outpace any enemy warship, a senior naval commander told state television on Sunday during a week of war games in the Gulf.

Western nations have been watching developments in Iran's missile capabilities with concern amid a standoff over the Iranian nuclear program, which the West says is aimed at building atomic bombs. Iran says the program is only civilian.

Analysts say the United States could take military action against Iran if it fails to resolve the nuclear dispute through diplomatic means. Iranian commanders say their armed forces are ready to respond to any attack.

Iran earlier in the war games said it tested a radar-evading missile and Sunday's announcement is likely to add to Western worries. Iran has a commanding position over the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, a shipping route through which passes some two-fifths of all the oil traded in the world.

"This missile evades sonar technology under the water and even if the enemy sonar system could detect its movement under the water, no warship could escape from it because of its high velocity," Revolutionary Guards Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said.

[edit on 2-4-2006 by Mehran]

[edit on 2-4-2006 by Mehran]

[edit on 2-4-2006 by Mehran]

[Mod Edit: Link format - Jak]

[edit on 3/4/06 by JAK]

German companies have developed a highly advanced new supercavitating torpedo known as the ‘Barracuda’.

Built by Diehl BGT Defence, and Altas Elektronik the previously top secret Barracuda travels at over 800km/h, faster than the Shkval, and is fully guided, capable of twisting and turning in on its target at high speed!

Recently unveiled in May at IMDEX 2005 in Singapore the Barracuda has already undergone a whole range of successful tests. The designers of the prototype Barracuda boast that its capabilities are unmatched, claiming the design is 10 years ahead of American research. It is claimed the Barracuda is maneuverable enough even to home in on, and knock out an incoming Shkval!
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and this is about Shkval II

Development of the Shkval has continued through the 1980’s and 1990’s to the present day. Very little information is available about the Shkval II, the existence of which was made public by the Russian government in 1998. Rumours state a top speed of possibly 450+ mph (720 kph/h) and a vastly improved range, believed by some to be in the region of 60+ miles (100 km). The fact that the Shkval II is guided renders it vastly superior to the original Shkval. The Shkval II is thought to be able to supercavitate, then if need be slow down and reacquire its target, before speeding up and homing in for the kill. Yet newer techniques developed by Ukrainian scientists are believed to offer the possibility for high speed supercav guidance and maneuvering.

The American Supercav and the Russian VA-111 Shkval are both high-speed supercavitating torpedoes, 250 mph class (more recently, there are also the English MK70 SpearFish TL8 and the German Barracuda). They don't use blade propellers to move, but powerful powder rocket motors. A fewer part of the generated hot gas is also projected in a front outlet on their nozzle, and the water in contact is vaporized, surronding the entire body, creating very low drag, thus high speed capabilities.
Russia has sold about 40 Shkval-E to China in the 90's.
www.periscope.ucg.com...

But think this is old tech: Shkval is more than thirty years old... Its developement program began at Soviet Research Institute NII-24 in the 60's, and a LOT of work, completly different, has since been done. In particular with magnetohydrodynamic torpedoes, made in the 80's, that literally suck water amount of the body and all along of it, with strong electromagnetic forces.
The Russian MHD torpedo codename would be translated in English as "the Big One" or "the Fat One".

MHD torpedoes can travel at very high speed under water such as 1700 mph, because drag is not just reduced as supercavs, but completely eliminated. The drag is even negative, providing up to 70% of thrust thanks to MHD apsiration (around 30% provided by the rocket engine).
MHD propulsion requires large amount of electric power, and the very clever idea of these torpedoes lays in the way how the current is generated: they don't stock it in batteries, nor any capacitors. They create it in situ, extracting electric charges from the exhaust hot (very hot) gas, with an efficient MHD converter that relies on electrodes and magnetic coils. Due to the temperature, the whole system has a very short lifespan (10 seconds or so) but who cares since with such ultra speed you need 3 to 6 seconds to destroy submarine nuclear platforms ? The enemy just cannot react quickly enough.
Now, think that US Navy has since replaced copper coils by superconducting coils, and you can imagine where they are today. Think that the limit is the sound barrier under water and that this speed, unlike in air, is... 3315 mph.

As for transposing this supercavitating device in air for high speed bunker penetrators, this is a little weird. Perhaps they use a plasma torch in front of the missile (as the gaz in front of these old torpedoes). The best and most efficient way would remain using an antimatter-plasma torch, but... ;-)