Type Anti-submarine weapon Produced 1950 (Terne I) Length 1.95 m | In service 1964 Weight 135 kg | |
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Manufacturer Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and A/S Raufoss | ||
Terne is a Norwegian anti-submarine weapon system, which uses rocket-thrown depth charges. It was developed by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) in cooperation with the U.S. Navy in the late 1940s-early 1960s. The Terne development project consisted of three phases:
Terne I : Development of a rocketborn depth charge.
Terne II: Development and construction of a landbased ASW for naval defense.
Terne III: Development and construction of a shipborne ASW.
A Terne III weapon system consists of a search & track sonar, a fire-control system and the rocket launchers, which can store six salvos of six rockets each. The rocket itself, is a depth charge with multiple fusing modes (preset time after water entry, proximity, or contact), which is propelled through the air by a solid-fueled rocket motor. When the sonar detects a target, the fire-control system can fire a rocket salvo to place a string of depth charges 18 m (20 yd) apart, perpendicular to the target's course.