Mark 60 CAPTOR

Mark 60 CAPTOR
Mark 60 mine being loaded into a B-52 Stratofortress at Loring Air Force Base in 1989
Type	Antisubmarine naval mine
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1979-2001
Used by	United States Navy
Wars	Cold War
Production history
Designer	Goodyear Aerospace
Manufacturer	Goodyear Aerospace
Unit cost	113,000
Produced	1978-1986
Variants	Mine Mk 66, Mk 46 Mod 5 (NEARTIP)
Specifications
Weight	Aircraft/ship-laid:1,077 kg (2,374 lb) Submarine-laid:935 kg (2,061 lb)
Length	Aircraft/ship-laid:3.68 m (145 in) Submarine-laid:3.35 m (132 in)
Diameter	530 mm (21 in)
Effective firing range	8,000 yards (7,300 m)
Warhead	Mark 46 torpedo
Warhead weight	44 kg (97 lb), PBXN-103
Engine	Two-speed, reciprocating external combustion
Propellant	Otto fuel II
Maximum depth	1,000 feet (300 m)
Speed	>28 knots (52 km/h)
Guidance system	Active or passive/active acoustic homing, snake or circle search, reliable acoustic path (RAP) sound propagation
Launch platform	Aircraft, surface ship and submarines

The Mark 60 CAPTOR (Encapsulated Torpedo) is the United State's only deep water anti-submarine naval mine. It uses a Mark 46 torpedo contained in an aluminum shell which is anchored to the ocean floor. The mine can be placed by either aircraft, submarine or surface vessel.The torpedo, once placed, can last anywhere from weeks to months underwater.The original production contract of the CAPTOR mine was awarded to Goodyear Aerospace in 1972, and entered service in 1979. It was hoped to reduce minefield costs and used in the creation of a barrier of the "Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap to interrupt Soviet submarines in the event that deterrence failed."

The mine uses Reliable Acoustic Path (RAP) sound propagation to passively identify and track the difference between hostile submarine signatures, surface vessels and friendly submarines. Once identified, the torpedo leaves its casing to destroy its target.