A $61m contract awarded to Boeing workout routines an possibility for added manufacturing of Excessive Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Functionality kits for Mark 54 torpedoes.
Excessive Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Functionality, or HAAWC, provides a deployable wing and steerage system to Mark 54 torpedoes, which permits their deployment from P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol plane working at cruise altitude. The wing permits the weapon to make a managed descent to the waters’ floor, whereas moreover providing a lift in engagement vary in comparison with a parachute or excessive drag tail fins.
Working at cruise altitude means the P-8 can obtain extra environment friendly efficiency, lengthening on-station time. It additionally reduces the probability of detection by submarines both utilizing sonar or periscopes. In the long term, working at larger altitudes will moreover scale back airframe fatigue.
The wing package carries the torpedo right down to a extra standard launch peak earlier than levelling off and deploying the torpedo, full with parachute, in horizontal flight. The system reportedly makes use of know-how beforehand developed for the Joint Direct Assault Munition (JDAM) bomb steerage package, in addition to the AGM-84H/Okay Standoff Land Assault Missile-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missile.
Preliminary Working Functionality (IOC) for the HAAWC was declared in 2022, just some months after being accepted for full-rate manufacturing. Future upgrades might even see the system acquire the flexibility to obtain concentrating on updates by way of Hyperlink 16 after launch.
Nearly all of contracted work will happen in St. Charles, Missouri, with further work allotted to Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah, St. Louis, Missouri, and different areas. Completion of this contract is predicted by January 2028. The variety of HAAWC models procured is unspecified.
HAAWC is presently distinctive to the P-8 Poseidon, although the Mark 54 torpedo is used throughout the U.S. Navy. There was some hypothesis that the package might be fitted to the RUM-139C Vertical-Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket carried in Mark 41 vertical launch techniques, which makes use of a Mark 54 torpedo as its foundation, however this has not but been developed additional.
#Destroyer USS #PINCKNEY DDG91 launching a Vertical Launch ASROC anti-submarine rocket 5 Dec. throughout a live-fire demonstration within the Pacific. ASROC carries a torpedo that enters the water to hunt submarines. pic.twitter.com/dneyYpurZv
— Chris Cavas (@CavasShips) December 10, 2018
It has additionally obtained no export orders, regardless of a variety of different nations working the Mark 54 and P-8 mixture – together with the UK and Australia, each key companions by AUKUS. Nevertheless, as it’s nonetheless early within the lifetime of the system, there’s nonetheless the potential for these orders to return as the potential matures.
Mark 54 Torpedo
The Mark 54 is the U.S. Navy’s latest light-weight torpedo, providing each air-launched and ship-launched capabilities. Submarines are outfitted with the a lot bigger Mark 48 torpedo.
Getting into service in 2004, the Mark 54 was designed to switch each the Mark 46 and Mark 50 torpedoes with a standard design. Each of those varieties seem to stay in service alongside the Mark 54 in the meanwhile.
The Mark 54 makes an attempt to stability the improved littoral efficiency of the Mark 50 with the manufacturing scale and price efficiencies of the Mark 46. The present iteration of the weapon is the Mod 1, which reached IOC in 2023.
Preliminary stories concerning the weapon’s efficiency previous to the improve famous ‘under threshold efficiency’, which was sustained by a number of assessments over a variety of years. It’s unclear whether or not the Mod 1 efficiently addressed any of the continuing points current with the weapon.
Although it could merely be a sign of a desire for home-grown weapon techniques, notably the Royal Air Pressure is transferring in direction of integrating the Sting Ray torpedo on its P-8 Poseidons rather than the Mark 54.
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed its intent to award a direct procurement contract value £10.8 million for the combination of the British-made Sting Ray Mod 1 light-weight torpedo onto the Royal Air Pressure’s Poseidon P-8 maritime patrol plane.
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) Could 29, 2025
The UK procured the Mark 54 together with its P-8s to offer a day one functionality upon supply, however introduced in 2023 that the Sting Ray utilized by Royal Navy ships and helicopters can be added as a functionality. Germany, one other Mark 54 operator, has additionally expressed curiosity in procuring the Sting Ray for its P-8 Poseidons, that are because of start supply later this 12 months.
A Mark 54 Mod 2 variant is presently in growth, although reportedly shouldn’t be suitable both with the HAAWC package or the vertical launch adapter. Mod 2 is meant to incorporate a brand new propulsion system and warhead.
