The Navy’s 5th Fleet has received software upgrades to the Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes under an urgent need to address a potential capability gap.
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) spent 18 months producing the new software and completed installing it on the fleet of Mk54s this month under a request submitted by the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, the command said. Mk54s are deployed on surface combatants and helicopters for anti-submarine warfare.
NAVEA would not specify the capability gap the upgrade to the Raytheon [RTN]-built torpedo sought to correct, nor whether it would be required for the rest of the Navy’s arsenal of Mk-54s.
The quick upgrade was enabled by the torpedo’s open architecture design, NAVSEA said.