The upgraded MK 48 Mod 7 torpedo variant will arm the U.S. Navy’s Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines with a longer-range, more lethal, and more capable conventional weapon.
The new technology also involves adjustments to the electronic circuitry to allow the torpedo to better operate in an undersea environment.
Modifications to the weapon have improved the acoustic receiver, replaced the guidance-and-control hardware with updated technology, increased its memory, and improved processor power throughout to handle the expanded software demands required to improve the torpedo’s performance against evolving threats, according to U.S. Navy data on the weapon.
