Kongsberg Terne

Terne is a Norwegian anti-submarine weapon system, which uses rocket-thrown depth charges. It was developed by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment in cooperation with the U.S. Navy in the late 1950s. The U.S. Navy used the Terne III system on a few destroyers in the early 1960s, but phased out the system after only a few years of use. The Norwegian Navy uses Terne to this day.

Photo: Kongsberg

Terne III

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, designated as Rocket-Thrown Depth Charge MK 3 by the U.S. Navy, 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 yds) apart, perpendicular to the target's course. Terne's effective range is about 400-5000 m (440-5500 yds).

Specifications

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!

Data for Terne III rocket:

Length	1.97 m (6 ft 5.5 in)
Diameter	20 cm (7.9 in)
Weight	120 kg (264 lb)
Speed	?
Range	5000 m (5500 yds)
Propulsion	Solid-fueled rocket; 52 kN (11700 lb)
Warhead	Depth charge

Main Sources

[1] Norman Friedman: "World Naval Weapons Systems, 1997/98", Naval Institute Press, 1997
[2] Norman Friedman: "US Naval Weapons", Conway Maritime Press, 1983
[3] Norman J. Bowman: "The Handbook of Rockets and Guided Missiles", Perastadion Press, 1963

Back to Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4

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Last Updated: 2 February 2006