Context
Recently, the Ministry of Defence has signed a deal with the US Government for procurement of MK 54 Torpedo and Expendable (Chaff and Flares) for the Indian Navy, under Foreign Military Sale (FMS).
Foreign Military Sale (FMS)
- FMS is the U.S. Government’s program for transferring defense articles, services, and training to its international partners and international organizations.
Key-Points
- MK 54 Torpedo
- It is a cigar-shaped, self-propelled underwater missile, launched from a submarine, surface vessel, or airplane and designed for exploding upon contact with the hulls of surface vessels and submarines.
- MK 54 uses sophisticated processing algorithms to analyze information, plot false targets or countermeasures, and then pursue identified threats.
- The primary use of this equipment is for offensive purposes when deployed by anti-submarine warfare aircraft and helicopters, and for defensive purposes when deployed by ships and against fast, deep-diving nuclear submarines and slow-moving, quiet, diesel-electric submarines.
- India intends to use Mk 54 torpedoes in its P-8I surveillance aircraft.
- Expendables: Expendables are non-perishable or used during a flight and will never be recovered.
- Chaff:
- Chaff is part of the CounterMeasure Dispensing System (CMDS) which is a portable electronic counter measure used to protect naval ships from enemy’s radar and missile seekers based on radio frequency.
- The CMDS provides protection against complex, diverse and congested threats on aircraft against missiles that require Radar guided & Infrared.
- It is composed of many small aluminium or zinc coated fibres stored on-board the aircraft in tubes.
- In the event that the aircraft feels threatened by any radar tracking missiles, the chaffs are released into the turbulent air behind the aircraft.
- Flare:
- A flare or decoy flare is also part of the CMDS, which is used by a plane or helicopter to combat infrared homing ("heat-seeking") missiles from the surface to the air or missile from air to air.
- Flares are usually composed of a pyrotechnic structure based on magnesium or other hot metal, with a temperature that is equivalent to or hotter than an engine exhaust.
- Infrared Flares are used to rescue the fighter and to transport aircraft from Infrared's guided missiles (both surface to air and air to air threats).
- Burning when exploded provides another solid source of IR (Infrared) to heat-seeking anti air missiles that protect the air from being lured away from the aircraft.
