Under development since the early 1990s, Polyphem is an international program involving Germany, France, and Italy. It is a fibre-optic wire-guided SSM with a 32 nm range (when launched from a ship), a speed of 400 knots, and a 20 kg (4 dp) warhead. The EO seeker has an IIR camera. This allows the operator to see targets as far away as 10 nm in day, night and adverse weather. It uses I/GPS to fly to the target area without gunner involvement, then lets the gunner search the area, choose a target, and attack. Four missiles can be fired at one time. Terminal guidance can be automatic or operator-controlled. Because of the camera and the fiber-optic link, the missile can be used for reconnaissance as well as attack. The camera also allows the operator to see the results of a missile attack, and using the link, he can change the target of missiles in fight, within range limitations. The camera also allows extremely precise targeting (±0.1 meters), or the ability to target specific locations on a ship. A sub-launched version called Triton is under development for the German Type 212 and for the Norwegian Navy. Four missiles can be carried in each TT with an 8.3 nm range. Either the ship- or sub-launched version can also attack land targets and helicopters as well as surface ships. BT Back to The Naval Sitrep #20 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com