NUWC Supercavitating High Speed Bodies Test Range: Description and Test Results

As submarine operations increasingly move into coastal waters, the risk of submarine close encounters increases, as does the vulnerability of the platform to advanced threat weapons systems. A hard-kill terminal defense system would provide an effective response against these close-in threats. This system must detect. classify and localize a potential threat. aim an underwater gun, and launch a very high-speed projectile towards a target to neutralize it. To deliver enough kinetic energy to the target without enormous parasitic drag requires unconventional methods -- supercavitation technology.