Torpedoes that carry no high explosives but can still blow up their targets are now a possibility, says the Naval Undersea Warfare Center at Newport, Rhode Island, US.Conventional rocket-powered torpedoes are designed to dissipate heat into the water as they travel towards their target. This is necessary to stop them getting so hot that the high explosive payload self-destructs.The Navy’s new torpedo has an outer shell of titanium which houses a payload of aluminium metal chunks. The heat from the rocket motor melts the aluminium en route, so by the time the torpedo reaches its target, the titanium shell is full of liquid metal.On impact, a small charge ruptures the shell allowing the molten metal escape into and instantly vaporize the surrounding water. This creates an underwater vapour explosion with shock waves carrying molten metal shrapnel.
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