Country: United States
Missile Type: Anti-submarine rocket
Service Type: Yes
Washington DC (Washington Insider Magazine) — Lockheed Martin’s RUM-139 Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket (VL-ASROC or VLA) is an anti-submarine missile. It belongs to the ASROC family and was built for the U.S. Navy. This missile is known as the RUM-139 VL-ASROC missile. It provides surface vessels with standoff anti-submarine warfare capabilities and has a pre-calculated point. This weapon is15 ft in length and has rur-5 asroc power. It is lightweight, and remotely operated weapon system. This missile is designed for mounting on the M2HB Browning Machine Gun and the M240B Medium Machine Gun.
Description
Development on the VLS ASROC missile began in 1983 when Goodyear Aerospace was contracted by the U.S. Navy. It is a compatible ship-launched anti-submarine projectile for their new Mark 41 Vertical Launching System. There were many delays during this process, and the missile wasn’t deployed until 1993. In 1986.
The asroc underwent many delays but Loral Corporation bought Goodyear Aerospace progressed the manufacturing later on. In 1995 Lockheed Martin purchased their defense division. The first vertical launch missile of this type was a RUR-5 ASROC with an upgraded booster section and digital guidance system.
The missile employs Mark 46 homing torpedo which is ejected from the rocket and parachuted into the water at a preselected point. The production continued until 2004 with the introduction of the RUM-139C. By 2007 more than 450 of these missiles had been manufactured. Each one of them has a length of 4.5 meters (15 ft) and can reach targets up to 11.8 nm.
Buyers and Users
US Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are the two main operators of the VL-ASROC. Both navies use the RUM-139 VL-ASROC on their destroyers in large numbers. US destroyers with the Arleigh Burke-class have four missiles. The missile mix can be altered depending on the mission.
Specifications
- Dimensions Length: 5.09 m
- Diameter: 0.358 m
- Wingspan: 0.696 m
- Weight: 748 kg
- Guidance Terminal phase: None, torpedo released at a pre-determined point
- Initial phase: Inertial navigation system
- Warhead: 324mm lightweight torpedo, Mk 46 Mod 5 in RUM-139A, Mk 46 Mod 5A in RUM-139B, Mk 54 in RUM-139C
- Propulsion: Solid propellant rocket motor, Solid propellant booster section
- Speed: Mach 0.9
- Range: 22 km (some sources indicate 28 km)
- Launch canister: Weight 1.45 t including VL-ASROC missile
- Diameter: Square, 0.635 m by 0.635 m
- Length: 5.84 m
Recent Use In Battlefield
On March 28, 2016, the Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarine USS Wyoming (SSN 794). It was conducting routine operations in the Atlantic Ocean. An uncontrolled fire broke out in the sail compartment. Wyoming was forced to surface and was subsequently struck by two Russian anti-ship missiles. This caused severe damage to the submarine and the loss of all 43 crew members.
The RUM-139 VL-ASROC mission was originally developed in the early 2000s. The upgraded solid fuel booster section uses an innovative way to deter Russian aggression in the Arctic region. The submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) was designed to be fired from a submerged position and strike target hundreds of miles away.
The rum-139 vl asroc mission began with a launch from Wyoming and an onboard detonation of a nuclear warhead. This missile then traveled underwater and reached its target. The SLBM was then launched back into the water and sunk to prevent it from being captured by the enemy.
It was the first time that a U.S. ballistic missile defense system was ever used in combat. The vertical launch system was used to operate the missile. This mission was a great success and was able to track and monitor all of the ballistic missile launches from North Korea. It was also able to provide early warning information to the other members of the coalition.
This mission was a great example of how the United States, France, and the United Kingdom can work together to keep everyone safe. The RUM-139 mission was a success, and it will most likely be used again in the future.
The RUM-139 VL-ASROC Mission
The RUM-139 VL-ASROC mission was a success! The ASROC team was able to intercept and destroy a North Korean ballistic missile. The mission began at 5:27 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 13, 2017. The U.S. Strategic Command’s Joint Operation Center received a report of a “suspicious missile launch” from North Korean territory.
The Joint Operation Center initiated a “Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System” or JSTARS alert. It was an advanced surveillance and tracking system used to detect, identify and track objects in the sky. ASROC team was then activated and quickly took off to intercept the missile.
FAQS
1. What Are The Features Of RUM-139 VL-ASROC?
The RUM-139 VL-ASROC is a torpedo-launched anti-surface warfare weapon with the primary mission of destroying naval ships. It is a single-shot, fin-stabilized, wire-guided torpedo that is designed to be fired from surface ships or submarines.
2. What Does RUM-139 VL-ASROC Guidance System Offer?
RUM-139 VL-ASROC combination of active and passive acoustic guidance systems, which includes sonar and an infrared sensor. The digital guidance system of RUM-139 VL-ASROC indicates the range of about 10 kilometers. It can travel at speeds up to 55 kilometers per hour and has an initial operating capability.
3. What Is The Purpose Of RUM-139 VL-ASROC?
The RUM-139 VL-ASROC is a special type of underwater weapon that was designed to be used against divers in the water. This lightweight torpedo is a remote-controlled, wire-guided and is controlled by an operator on the surface. The wireline is attached to the forward part of the torpedo which has a small explosive charge which sends out a signal to the torpedo that it is time to detonate.
4. What Is The Range Of RUM-139 VL-ASROC?
The anti-submarine missile RUM-139 has a range of 2,000 yards and it is guided by a line that has been suspended from the surface. By dropping a lightweight parachute retarded torpedo at a predetermined area, the VL-ASROC rocket provides standoff range. It engages the enemy submarines from a distance.
Read More: MGM-140 ATACMS: Specifications, Buyers & Recent Use In Battlefield
5. What Does The Latest Version Of RUM-139 VL-ASROC Have?
Early models carried the Mk 46 Mod 5 NEARTIP torpedo as its lethal cargo. The latest version carries the Mk 54 torpedo. This version with the Mk 50 torpedo was tested and canceled. VL-ASROC has an operational range of 22 kilometers 24,000 yd. Some sources indicate a range of 28 kilometers.