Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:00:44-2:04:04

Using torpedo tubes for recoverable underwater vehicles

Larger torpedo tubes could support recoverable underwater vehicles in a way that vertical launch systems generally cannot.

Naval TechnologySubmarinesTorpedo TubesUnderwater Vehicles
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Question

Why use torpedo tubes rather than VLS for submarine-launched underwater vehicles?

Short answer

A torpedo tube can support recovery as well as launch, making it better suited to reusable vehicles.

Notes

Oversized tubes may find a future use in launching and recovering undersea vehicles rather than only firing torpedoes. Future submarines might carry a pair of large tubes sized around the vehicles they need, whether that proves to be 24, 30, or 36 inches. The main advantage is reversibility: a torpedo tube is already a controlled route both out of and back into the submarine. A vertical launch cell can eject an unmanned vehicle, but it does not provide the same established recovery path. Reusable undersea systems could therefore restore a role for tube diameters that no longer make sense for ordinary torpedoes.