The US Navy wants its next drone-mounted torpedo to be able to glide silently through the air
- This torpedo could glide through the air before quietly entering the ocean
- Silent Anvil must enter the water at angles between 45 and 90 degrees
- Its glide phase could extend submarine hunting far beyond torpedo range
The US Navy is weighing two paths toward a new class of Silent Anvil Air-Launched Torpedo (SAA-LT) meant to enter the water quietly and track threats beneath the surface.
One route involves building an entirely new torpedo designed from the ground up to glide toward its target before submerging.
The alternative approach would attach a glide kit onto a torpedo already in service, extending its reach without a full redesign.
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Weight and size requirements
Officials have set strict limits on the weapon’s physical dimensions, capping it at 268 pounds with a maximum length of 70 inches and a diameter reaching up to 7.5 inches.
These figures place Silent Anvil in a similar weight class to existing torpedoes, though officials have not disclosed how far the weapon must travel before impact.
By comparison, the Mark 54 torpedo currently in Navy inventory carries a range of roughly 5.7 miles, giving industry a rough benchmark even though exact figures for the new system remain undefined.
“The Government is seeking industry input on the maximum standoff glide range achievable,” the Navy said.
Officials have also outlined specific launch conditions, requiring the weapon to operate across three distinct speed bands measured at Mach 0.25, 0.50 and 0.85.
Altitude requirements stretch from as low as 10 feet to as high as 60,000 feet, a ceiling that exceeds the operational limits of the P-8 Poseidon aircraft.
That upper range instead aligns more closely with the capabilities of the MQ-4C Triton, a high-altitude surveillance drone already flying missions for the fleet.
Strict water entry requirements
Engineers must also account for how the weapon behaves once it approaches the ocean surface, since prolonged airborne travel offers a stealth advantage.
“SAA-LT shall maximize aerial flight endurance while minimizing aquatic immersion time, restricting water residence strictly to the minimum duration required for successful mission execution,” the Navy said.
Under the glide-kit configuration, the torpedo would need to strike the water somewhere between 45 and 90 degrees, moving at a velocity ranging from 40 to 120 feet per second.
Development is expected to move quickly once a contract is finalized, with a working prototype required within 18 months of any award.
Should that early test succeed, the program would then scale toward 180 additional units built within three years.
This effort unfolds as China has been steadily enlarging its submarine fleet in recent years, adding vessels with far greater technical capability than before.
Among these additions are unmanned underwater vehicles engineered to operate effectively across great distances without needing any human crew aboard.
In response, the US Navy is also developing a separate weapon known internally as the Long-Range Antisubmarine Warfare system, still early in testing.
That system would let torpedoes launch from tubes built into ship decks and strike enemy submarines from a much greater distance.
Via Defense News
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This torpedo could glide through the air before quietly entering the ocean Silent Anvil must enter the water at angles between 45 and 90 degrees Its glide phase could extend submarine hunting far beyond torpedo range The US Navy is weighing two paths toward a new class of Silent Anvil…
