Vertical Launch ASROC - The U.S. Navy's Anti-Submarine Missile

ASROC is a Navy acronym for anti-submarine rocket.

The Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC) (VLA) is a surface-ship
launched anti-submarine missile designed to deliver the MK 46 Mod 5A (SW) or the
MK 54 Mod Lightweight Torpedo to a water-entry point close to a targeted submarine.

They are carried by AEGIS ships (cruisers and destroyers) equipped with the MK41
Vertical Launching System (VLS) and the SQQ-89 ASW Combat System. Combined,
these systems provide these ships with an all-weather, 360-degree, quick-reaction,
standoff anti-submarine weapon.

VLA includes a solid-propellant booster thrust vector control (TVC) and a digital
autopilot control (DAC) to guide the missile from a post-launch, vertical orientation,
through a pitch-over maneuver into a ballistic trajectory intended to deliver the
torpedo to a calculated aim point on the ocean surface. The torpedo is activated
upon water entry, and takes over the guidance to the enemy submarine.

General Characteristics: VLA Missile

* Contractor: Lockheed Martin
* Propulsion: Solid Propellant Rocket
* Length: 16.7 feet
* Diameter: 14.1 inches
* Weight: 1,650 pounds
* Range: ~12 nautical miles (24,000 yards)
* Warhead: 96.8 pounds, high-explosive