Malafon

Malafon
Malafon
	Malafon launcher on the French destroyer Maillé-Brézé
Type	Standoff anti-submarine ballistic missile
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1966-1997
Used by	French Navy
Specifications
Mass	1330 kg
Length	5.85 m
Diameter	0.65 m
Warhead	533mm L4 torpedo
Engine	Solid propellant rocket motor
Operational; range	13 km
Maximum speed	808 km/h
Launch; platform	Various French surface ships

Malafon (MArine LAtécoère FONds) was a French ship-launched anti-submarine missile system. Developed in the 1950s and 1960s, the weapon was intended to take advantage of the greater detection ranges possible with towed sonar arrays. The missile entered service in 1966 and was manufactured by Groupe Latécoère

The weapon is essentially a glider-delivered version of the L4 torpedo. The launcher is a circular mount, which allows the weapon to be slewed to the correct bearing, whereupon it is fired at a fixed elevation of +15°. Two solid booster rockets accelerate it to 830 km/h within 4 seconds before falling away. The unpowered glider continues at an altitude of 100 meters, altering course in mid-flight under radio control of the launch platform. Effective range was 13 km. As it reaches the target, the glider drops the torpedo, which splashes into the sea and commences a circular search pattern. The flight time of the Malafon meant that it was expected to hit the water up to 800 m from the submarine's location. The L4 torpedo had a speed of 30 kt over a range of 5 km.

The Malafon was a large weapon, with each missile weighing 1,330 kg. As a result, it was only employed on larger vessels. It was typically used for medium- and long-range submarine targets, though it could have been used against surface ships.

The system was never used at war. It was declared obsolete in 1997. It was replaced by Westland Lynx helicopters using Mark 46 torpedoes.

Ships

The Malafon system was fitted to the following ship classes

Specifications

	Missile	Torpedo
Weight	1330 kg with booster	540 kg
Speed	230 m/s (828 km/h)	30 kts
Range	13 km	5 km
Length	5.85 m	3.13 m

The missile had a 3.19 m wingspan, with the main body having a 65 cm diameter. The torpedo had a 533 mm (21 inch) diameter and could dive to 300 m depth.

References

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