Q&A ยท 3:25:42-3:28:38

Torpex, anti-submarine weapons, and warhead secrecy

Torpex combined power and stability, while its links to later torpedo explosives complicate research into warhead details.

Question

How effective was Torpex for anti-submarine warfare, and where can it be researched?

Short answer

It combined high explosive power with stability. Useful historical sources include NavWeaps, Gannon, Baxter, and Bureau of Ordnance material, although details of related modern warheads remain difficult to establish publicly.

Notes

Torpex combined considerable explosive power with high stability. Historical starting points include NavWeaps, Robert Gannon's work on American torpedo development, Colin Baxter's history of RDX, and the US Navy Bureau of Ordnance report on torpedoes. These sources address the weapons and their development, while complete details of later warheads are harder to establish publicly. Continued military use of related explosives is one proposed reason for that limitation, with Sting Ray cited as an example. The sensitivity extends to manufacturing processes as well as formulations.