"Finmeccanica Sells Torpedoes to Portugal
By TOM KINGTON, ROME
The Portuguese Navy has signed an agreement to buy an unspecified number of Italian-built torpedoes, the manufacturer, Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS), said March 4.
WASS, a unit of Finmeccanica, here, said the 47 million euro ($61.6 million) contract was to supply its heavyweight Black Shark torpedo to Portuguese 209/P submarines, built by HDW, Kiel, Germany.
The torpedo previously has been supplied to the Chilean and Malaysian navies to arm their French-built Scorpene-class submarines, WASS said. "
http://www.whiteheadaleniasistemisubacq ... ml?cat=0,1Description
The Black-Shark torpedo currently under sea trials evaluation on production, will offer a considerably enhanced capability in respect of the currently available torpedoes in the market. Three major areas are being upgraded: the homing head, the propulsion system and the control and guidance unit.
The new ASTRA (Advanced Sonar Transmitting and Receiving Architecture) seeker, featuring improved signal processing with real-time multiple digital processing, incorporates a new flat, steerable, multibeam planar array which offers increased bandwidth in two operating frequencies – 15 kHz medium passive only and 30 kHz active and passive high frequency. The high-frequency mode provides high resolution over a short range while the medium frequency provides long-range acquisition. The seeker can operate simultaneously in both frequencies in passive mode, allowing the torpedo to discriminate between signals from a real target and signals from an acoustic countermeasure decoy. In active and passive mode, both frequencies are independently processed on each lobe. Digital pulse compression techniques are used in any transmission mode. Signal and data processing algorithms include spatial and frequency filtering, constant false alarm rate processing, echo elongation analysis and spatial coherence and angular extension analysis. The seeker transducers have been carefully sited so that high-speed flow noise does not interfere with transmission or reception of acoustic signals. Damping materials are sited around the weapon’s nose to further limit self-generated noise, resulting in increased acquisition ranges in both active and passive modes. The ASTRA seeker has been fully tested at sea and is now in production [The wake homing feature is a well proven capability of the Black-Shark system].
The propulsion system features a new brushless axial flux motor and skewed direct-drive contrarotating propellers connected to a new tail cone and actuation system. The new arrangement allows continuous regulation of the speed over the entire speed envelope. The redesigned propellers
are very quiet and, with the new motor, exhibit a very low acoustic signature. The AgO-Al battery offers improved capacity. It will improve endurance and provide the more powerful new motor with increased energy, allowing speed to be raised in excess of 52 Kt.
The new guidance and control unit features a new fibre optic link to the submarine in place of the traditional wire-guidance link. The fibre optic link carries sensor data and command and guidance signals to and from the submarine. This allows the torpedo to operate as an advanced sensor for the submarine. The fibre optic cable allows a higher data exchange rate between the submarine and the weapon, giving a 100% increase in normally available torpedo guidance range. The guidance unit incorporates a strapdown inertial navigation system using three laser gyros and three accelerometers for guidance and control. "
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