Mark 60 CAPTOR

A Mark 60 is being prepared for use by a B-52G bomber

The Mark 60 CAPTOR ( MK 60 En cap sulated Tor pedo ) is a sea ​​mine that has been used by the US Navy to combat submarines since 1979 .

Developed by the Mine Division of the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Panama City , Florida , the CAPTOR is the only deep-water anti-submarine mine in the world and is used exclusively by the US Navy. The laying of the mine can be done by helicopters, airplanes, ships and submarines. The maximum operating depth of the mine is approximately 900 meters, the maximum range is approximately 7200 meters.

The mine consists of the launch container for a modified Mark 46 torpedo with an acoustic seeker head, the battery, the acoustic sensors with the processor unit and the anchoring cable.

The way the mine works is relatively simple: the sensors of the mine anchored to the seabed “listen” into the sea and perceive the sounds of underwater vehicles. The processor unit recognizes these and assigns them to the previously stored noise profiles. The mine is able to differentiate between enemy and its own or civilian submarines and only launch the torpedo if the parameters specified in advance apply. This means that certain types of enemy submarines can also be fought.

After the target is recognized, the torpedo is ejected, activated, and follows its programmed target tracking course until it hits the target.

Web links

• Mk60 at fas.org

Individual evidence

1. ↑ GlobalSecurity: MK 60 Encapsulated Torpedo (CAPTOR). Retrieved February 20, 2014 .