Submarines shooting down aircraft

22 Sep 2009 8ak: As India is buying the P-8i submarine hunter, missiles/torpedoes are being tested to shoot down aircraft. In a press release Raytheon reported an underwater launch of a Raytheon AIM-9X air-to-air test missile shape from a submerged Tomahawk Capsule Launching System. The U.S. test marked the first time an AIM-9X test missile shape has been launched from underwater.

"The Littoral Warfare Weapon program will test and develop increased capabilities as the U.S. Navy continues to expand undersea warfare in the littoral arena," said Michael Del Checcolo, vice president of Engineering, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. "This successful launch demonstrates a new degree of submarine self-defense capability against threats our warfighters may encounter from the air, land and sea."

Also read Strategy Page: Germany successfully tested launching anti-aircraft missile from a submerged submarine (U-33, a Type 212 equipped with Air Independent Propulsion). The IDAS (Interactive Defense and Attack system for Submarines) missile used is 7.6 feet long, 180mm in diameter and weighs 260 pounds. It has a 29 pound warhead and a range of at least 15 kilometers. The main targets are ASW (Anti-Submarine) helicopters and low flying ASW aircraft. Two IDAS missiles fit into a metal frame that in turn fits into a torpedo tube.