The sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena by a single Mk 48 torpedo has put renewed focus on the U.S. Navy’s primary undersea weapon, a heavyweight torpedo that first entered operational service in 1972 and has been steadily upgraded for modern naval warfare.
The strike on the IRIS Dena marked the first time since World War II that a U.S. submarine used a torpedo to sink an enemy ship.
“In the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet Death,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference on Wednesday.
The Navy says the Mk 48 has long served as its principal undersea weapon, designed to “defeat all threat surface ships and submarines in all ocean environments.”
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The Mk 48 is a submarine-launched torpedo that uses information from the launching submarine and its own sensors to find and strike submarines or surface ships.
Physically, the weapon is built for destructive power. According to Navy specifications, the torpedo measures 21 inches in diameter, weighs about 3,744 pounds and carries a 650-pound high-explosive warhead.
According to the Department of the Navy’s fiscal year 2025 budget estimates, a single Mk 48 torpedo costs approximately $4.2 million.
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Lockheed Martin, one of the Mk 48 torpedo program’s primary contractors, says it can be guided in real time by wire from the launching submarine, allowing operators to update targeting information and adjust its course after launch.
If the wire connection is lost, the torpedo can switch to autonomous homing, relying on digital guidance systems and onboard signal processing to continue its pursuit independently.
Over time, the torpedo has evolved through hardware variants known as “Mods,” each integrating upgraded sensors, guidance and control systems, and propulsion improvements.
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The current fleet includes the Mod 7 configuration, developed in partnership with the Royal Australian Navy, while Mod 8 is in development and Mod 9 is being pursued as a rapid prototyping effort, according to the Department of War’s Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.
In addition to hardware upgrades, the Mk 48 undergoes recurring software updates known as Advanced Processor Builds, or APBs, which modify tactics, classification algorithms and operator interfaces to improve performance in increasingly complex undersea environments.
‘Quiet Death’: What to know about the American torpedo that sank Iranian warship, killing 87 2026 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2026 2026-03-05 16:16:14 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
