Deadly, Modified Versions
As an island nation, Japan is heavily committed to defending its sea-lanes and ensure the flow of crucial resources. This is why the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) employs a variety of anti-submarine assets including the famed ASROC missiles.
Though these rocket-propelled torpedos originate in the United States, Japan has not only added them to their arsenal, but also modified it to make them extremely deadly.
The Japanese ASROCs use the indigenous Type 93 and Type 12 torpedos, which are equipped with High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warheads instead of normal high-explosives.
For those who are not familiar, the HEAT warheads are designed to penetrate enemy armor by transforming a metal liner into a high-velocity charge jet. This feature is ideal for anti-tank combat, but not necessarily required against submarines.
On the contrary, if one were to eliminate the threat of enemy submarines, warheads equipped with normal high-explosives (which are cheaper by the way) would suffice.
In anti-submarine warfare, a slight damage to the hull could force the submarine to surface or at least hinder their submerging capabilities, making the use of armor-piercing warheads somewhat “overkill.”
Anti-Submarine Obsession
So, why does JMSDF use HEAT warheads against submarines?
The answer lies in their ancestor’s traumatizing experience.
Back in WW2, both the Japanese Navy and merchant fleet was decimated by US submarines, isolating the Japanese mainland from outside resources.
This was mainly due to the Navy’s lack of proper anti-submarine equipment and escort strategy, but the devastating experience has haunted the postwar JMSDF.
Reflecting these bitter lessons, the JMSDF has vowed to become the most skilled submarine hunters, which leads to why they adopted HEAT warheads for torpedos.
If HEAT warheads can guarantee better “results” in anti-submarine warfare, then the JMSDF would certainly employ them. While it may seem overkill in general, for the JMSDF, it is merely a necessary tool for achieving a successful kill.
New Long-Range Rockets
To make matters worse for the submarine side, the JMSDF has introduced the new Type 07 rocket for their ASROC missiles which assures better range and velocity.
With the new rocket, the Japanese ASROCs can fly up to 20km or 12.5 miles at hypersonic speed, diminishing the submarine’s chance of survival.
An image of the new Japanese ASROC (photo: JMSDF)
This means once the submarine is detected, even a long distance, the ASROCs would come flying towards them and launch the deadly HEAT-equipped torpedos that also has a underwater speed of over 40 knots (74km/h or 46mph).
When it comes to anti-submarine combat, you probably wouldn’t want to mess with the current Japanese Navy as they are completely ruthless in this aspect.
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