A new anti-torpedo torpedo is being deployed aboard U.S. Navy aircraft carriers to protect against deadly "wake homing torpedoes" fired from submarines such as Russia's Type 53-65 heavyweight torpedo built to sink aircraft carriers and China's Yu-6 heavyweight torpedo.

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This U.S. Navy anti-torpedo torpedo called the "Countermeasures Anti-Torpedo" or CAT is the sharp end of the "Anti-Torpedo Defense System" (ATTDS). This system is currently installed on five aircraft carriers and will be fully operational by 2022. 

The system is able to detect, classify, track and destroy incoming enemy torpedoes. The overall system consists of a sensor, processor and CAT, which is described as a small interceptor missile.

CAT is a first-of-its-kind "hard kill" countermeasure for ships and carriers designed to defeat torpedoes.

ATTDS has completed three carrier deployments.  The ATTDS Program of Record plan for future ships includes additional carriers and Combat Logistic Force ships.

Earlier this year, ATTDS was installed and operated on the USNS Brittin (TAKR-305) over a six day period during which the latest system hardware and software was tested.

The emergence of a specifically-engineered torpedo defense system is important for the Navy since it comes a time when many weapons developers are concerned about the vulnerability of carriers to sophisticated weapons such as long-range anti-ship missiles and hypersonic weapons.

The ability to protect carriers from submarine-launched torpedo attacks adds an important element to a carrier's layered defense systems.

Torpedo defense for surface ships, however, involves another portion of the threat envelope and is a different question. SSTD is being rapidly developed to address this.

The complete system consists of a Torpedo Warning System Receive Array launched from the winch at the end of the ship, essentially a towed sensor or receiver engineered to detect the presence of incoming torpedo fire.

The Receive Array sends information to a processor, which then computes key information and sends data to CAT attached to the side of the ship. The crew then makes the decision about whether to fire a CAT.

Tagsanti-torpedo torpedo, U.S. Navy, Countermeasures Anti-Torpedo, Anti-Torpedo Defense System, submarine, torpedo