Terne ASW

Summary

Terne is a Norwegian anti-submarine weapon system, which uses rocket-thrown depth charges. It was developed by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) in cooperation with the U.S. Navy in the late 1940s-early 1960s. The Terne development project consisted of three phases:

Terne III Mk8
Terne III Mk.8 ASW system opening its clam gate
TypeAnti-submarine weapon
Service history
In service1964
Production history
ManufacturerKongsberg Defence & Aerospace and A/S Raufoss
Produced1950 (Terne I)
Specifications
Mass135 kg
Length1.95 m
Diameter0.21 m
Wingspan0.24 m
Warhead50 kg
Detonation
mechanism
Delay Fuse

EngineSolid-fueled Rocket; 52 kN (11700 lb)
Operational
range
425-1600 m
Guidance
system
Unguided rocket + depth charge
Launch
platform
Land and Naval ships

Terne I  : Development of a rocketborn depth charge.

Terne II: Development and construction of a landbased ASW for naval defense.

Terne III: Development and construction of a shipborne ASW.

A Terne III weapon system consists of a search & track sonar, a fire-control system and the rocket launchers, which can store six salvos of six rockets each. The rocket itself, is a depth charge with multiple fusing modes (preset time after water entry, proximity, or contact), which is propelled through the air by a solid-fueled rocket motor. When the sonar detects a target, the fire-control system can fire a rocket salvo to place a string of depth charges 18 m (20 yd) apart, perpendicular to the target's course.

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