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the u.s. navy is considering equipping its nuclear submarines with miniature torpedoes that could provide additional offensive firepower and new anti-torpedo defense capabilities. the miniature torpedoes are equipped with a universal torpedo body, and future variants could also arm unmanned surface vessels (usvs), unmanned underwater vehicles (uuvs) and anti-submarine drones.

the u.s. navy is advancing the continued development of the an/byg-1 submarine payload control system. almost all existing submarines will be equipped with this system to launch weapons and other payloads through integrated control of torpedo tubes, vertical launch systems or multi-purpose launchers. the u.s. navy's future columbia-class ballistic missile nuclear submarines, virginia-class block iv/v attack nuclear submarines, and australia's future attack nuclear submarines will also use this system.

according to the latest u.s. navy budget report, the an/byg-1 submarine payload control system will integrate anti-ship variants of the tomahawk land attack cruise missile and improved torpedo decoys, as well as a strange anti-torpedo torpedo compact rapid attack weapon (att craw) program.

for more than a decade, the u.s. navy has been working on what used to be called the common very lightweight torpedo (cvlwt). at its core, the cvlwt is a "chassis" that can accommodate different warheads, guidance packages, and other systems optimized for specific missions. the rear of the cvlwt is equipped with a chemical energy propulsion system (sceps). sceps works by soaking a solid block of lithium in sulfur hexafluoride gas, which creates an extremely high-energy chemical reaction that in turn produces steam to drive a turbine engine. the cvlwt has very strong acceleration performance and can reach 50% of its specified top speed in 12 seconds.

the cvlwt is 6.3 inches in diameter and about 85 inches long, much smaller than the mk48 heavyweight torpedo, which is about 21 inches in diameter and 228 inches long. it is currently the standard anti-ship/anti-submarine weapon for us navy nuclear submarines. the cvlwt weighs about 220 pounds, more than 16 times lighter than the mk48 heavyweight torpedo. the us navy has developed several variants of the cvlwt, the most famous of which is the countermeasure torpedo (cat), also known as the anti-torpedo torpedo (att). this is a defensive "hard kill" interceptor torpedo that can destroy incoming heavy torpedoes by impact/explosion fragmentation.

the cvlwt is also equipped with a sonar seeker capable of operating in active/passive modes, and its guidance package also includes an inertial measurement unit. the navigation data provided by the inertial measurement unit enables the torpedo to make more precise movements and improves its accuracy.

according to public navy briefings, the compact rapid attack weapon (craw) shares much of its hardware with the cvlwt to keep production costs and maintenance requirements low, but is optimized as an offensive weapon against other submarines.

u.s. submarines currently use a combination of electronic warfare jammers and acoustic decoys to counter torpedoes, but more advanced torpedoes are equipped with sensors that can detect differences in water density, which can accurately measure the wake stirred up by a ship or submarine as it moves, and are not affected by acoustic decoys. these wake-seeking torpedoes have always been the soviet/russian killer against high-value maritime targets such as u.s. aircraft carriers. in recent years, concerns about future torpedo threats have also prompted the u.s. navy to add anti-torpedo torpedoes to its submarines.

but in july 2019, the u.s. navy officially stopped work on the anti-torpedo torpedo defense system (attds) for surface ships. at that time, the attds test system had been installed on five nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, which were later removed. the biggest difficulty with attds is that it cannot quickly classify the target and then launch an anti-torpedo torpedo in a very short time. the ultra-small size of the anti-torpedo torpedo means that even if it uses an explosive warhead, it still has to get close to the target to effectively destroy the target.

existing wake-seeking torpedoes have already adopted tactics that can throw off intercepting torpedoes. the latest variant of russia's type 53 wake-seeking torpedo in service can move toward the target in an s shape in the final stage of the attack, making them more difficult to track and target.

but the compact rapid attack weapon (craw) still has its place. as an offensive weapon, the miniature torpedo can expand a submarine's ammunition arsenal and add additional flexibility to engage a variety of small targets, such as unmanned surface vessels (usvs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (uuvs), so craw is a promising weapon.

based on the craw's physical size, it's possible that a submarine could carry at least four of these weapons in the same space allotted for a single mk48 heavyweight torpedo. the smaller craw would likely still require something to stabilize it within the standard 21/26-inch torpedo tubes of american submarines. perhaps a "plug-and-play" system could be developed that crews could install and remove as needed, or a portion of the torpedo tubes could be permanently modified specifically for the miniature torpedoes.

the u.s. navy can also launch craw from vertical launch tubes. the upcoming virginia block v nuclear attack submarine will be equipped with a virginia payload module (vpm) with four vertical launch tubes with a diameter of 87 inches. the standard configuration envisioned by the navy is to load six tomahawk cruise missiles in each tube of the vpm. using one of the tubes to load craw can also significantly increase the depth of the submarine's ammunition depot and enhance anti-submarine or anti-surface combat capabilities. in the future, virginia block v nuclear attack submarines are likely to operate in complex shallow waters, and the probability of encountering various usvs and uuvs will be greatly increased.

a submarine could also fire a salvo of craws at a single surface or submerged target, which would help overwhelm its defenses, or it could use craws and mk48 heavyweight torpedoes in a layered, multi-wave attack. the navy also noted that the craws could be compact enough to fit inside the launchers that submarines currently use to fire countermeasure decoys, which, depending on the commonality between the anti-torpedo interceptor and the offensive variant, could allow a submarine to carry additional craws without having to load up with more standard torpedoes or missiles.

the u.s. navy has been interested in arming unmanned helicopters and uuvs with craw, and northrop grumman has demonstrated using unmanned helicopters carrying craw to use third-party target data to deal with enemy submarines. the navy has hired boeing to build four super-large orca submarines that can use weapons such as craw to perform anti-submarine or anti-surface warfare missions.

the u.s. navy may also turn craw into a mine-type weapon. the u.s. navy is currently equipped with the mk67 submarine-launched mobile mine (slmm), which is a mk48 heavy torpedo that can be fired from the torpedo tube and then fixed to the seabed, using a passive sonar system to detect passing ships or submarines, and then launch torpedoes at them. if craw is turned into a mine-type weapon, it is easier to quickly and covertly lay a larger minefield. the existing slmm variant may carry multiple craws and engage multiple targets at the same time.

integrating cvlwt-based payloads with the an/byg-1 submarine payload control system could also help attract interest from u.s. allies, helping to spread development costs. the australian navy is already preparing to use the an/byg-1 system on their new submarines and could potentially share information resources with u.s. submarines in future joint operations. the inherently multi-purpose nature of the miniature torpedo could potentially transform existing undersea warfare concepts, and this revolutionary capability could very well become a reality in the next few years.