The US Navy plans to develop an air-launched torpedo system targeting China to enhance anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

The US Navy is working on a compact torpedo delivery system to reduce reliance on a small number of specialized aircraft for anti-submarine warfare, which can be carried by carrier-based aircraft and unmanned platforms. The project focuses on the Silent Anvil Air-Launched Torpedo (SAA-LT), with the Naval Air Systems Command issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to industry in August. The program aims to increase the number and types of aircraft that can participate in long-range submarine hunting, rather than simply replacing existing torpedoes.

This distinction is particularly important in the Western Pacific, where China is expanding its submarine fleet, and large aircraft like the P-8A Poseidon may face difficulties in an increasingly challenging operational environment.

The Navy wants to keep the SAA-LT's weight around 250 pounds (about 113 kilograms), with a maximum weight of 268 pounds (about 121 kilograms), a length of up to 70 inches (about 178 centimeters), and a diameter of 7.5 inches (about 19 centimeters). These dimensions are designed to make the weapon compatible with a wider range of aircraft and unmanned platforms that are compatible with larger air-launched systems. The RFI also calls for compatibility with the BRU-61/A weapons rack and support for both internal and external carriage. The system is expected to work with the carrier's storage and handling equipment.

Design and Requirements of Silent Anvil

The Navy is considering two options: a complete weapon integrating a glide device and torpedo, and a powerless wing kit capable of carrying a government-provided anti-submarine weapon. The requirement calls for an end-to-end prototype demonstration within 18 months of contract award, and the production of about 180 prototype weapons within three years.

According to US Navy intelligence estimates, China's submarine fleet could reach about 80 by 2035, with about half of them possibly being nuclear submarines. This forecast indicates a significant shift from China's heavy reliance on conventional submarines. China is also developing new submarine designs. Satellite imagery reviewed by the South China Morning Post in July showed an unidentified submarine at the Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard, with analysts suggesting that its reduced bridge and larger size might indicate a new type of submarine. Its propulsion system has not yet been confirmed. This larger and increasingly capable underwater force poses a challenge to the US Navy: finding submarines is only part of the challenge; the aircraft detecting the submarines must also be able to survive and operate in a contested Indo-Pacific battlefield and cover vast distances.

New Trends in Anti-Submarine Warfare

As noted by the US Naval Institute News, the Navy's interest in Silent Anvil comes as China expands its nuclear submarine fleet, and it emphasizes the importance of reintroducing anti-submarine weapons to carrier aviation, a trend that has been absent since the retirement of the S-3 Viking decades ago. Silent Anvil could make anti-submarine missions more widely distributed. The impact of this compact weapon may go beyond its size. The US already has the High-Altitude Anti-Submarine Weapon Capability (HAAWC), which combines a glide kit with the Mark 54 lightweight torpedo. HAAWC allows the P-8A Poseidon to release the weapon from high altitude, but the Silent Anvil design is considerably smaller.

The smaller weapon may allow the Navy to distribute attack capabilities across more platforms, rather than concentrating them on dedicated maritime patrol aircraft.

This could include carrier-based aircraft and drones taking off from locations that are difficult or risky. However, this does not eliminate the most difficult part of anti-submarine warfare, which is first finding the submarine. The RFI requires Silent Anvil to have network connectivity with tactical command and control systems, emphasizing the importance of connecting the weapon to a wider sensing and targeting network. Thus, the system aligns with the trend of separating the platforms that detect submarines from those that ultimately attack them. The role of the network may be as important as the torpedo itself. This distributed approach also brings new vulnerabilities. In a contested Indo-Pacific environment, communications may be disrupted, aircraft may be forced away from the search area, and the sensors responsible for finding the submarine may not be on the same platform as the weapon.

This makes the connection between sensors, command networks, aircraft, and weapons crucial.

The result is that Silent Anvil is not just a smaller torpedo, but a potential cornerstone for building a more distributed US anti-submarine warfare architecture. The Navy's immediate step is still just market research. Companies must respond to the RFI by September 29, with an industry day scheduled for September 17. Any resulting prototype program must still prove the concept's feasibility as an integrated system before moving into production. If successful, Silent Anvil will provide the US Navy with an increasingly valuable option in the Western Pacific, increasing the ways to get anti-submarine weapons into the battlefield without relying entirely on a limited number of dedicated submarine-hunting aircraft.

The Strategic Significance of Silent Anvil for the US Navy

The development of the Silent Anvil air-launched torpedo system reflects the US Navy's response strategy to the expansion of China's submarine fleet. As the number of Chinese submarines increases, the US Navy needs more flexible and diverse anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Silent Anvil is not just a new weapon, but also a potential key component of future anti-submarine warfare architecture, improving operational efficiency by distributing attack platforms. This trend also shows the Navy's emphasis on technology integration and network connectivity in the face of complex operational environments to address the challenges posed by submarine threats.