The UUM/RUM-125A Sea Lance was the US Navy’s ambitious Cold War answer to long-range anti-submarine warfare. Designed to launch from submarine torpedo tubes and Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells, Sea Lance could deliver either a conventional ASW torpedo or the W89 200-kiloton nuclear depth bomb against Soviet submarines at ranges of up to 100 nautical miles.
In this video, we examine the history, capabilities, and intended role of the Sea Lance missile, why it was developed, and how it addressed the limitations of earlier air-dropped nuclear depth bombs used by the United States and United Kingdom during the Cold War.
To put the weapon to the test, we run a Sea Power simulation. A Soviet Oscar-class SSGN launches a devastating salvo of 24 P-700 Granit anti-ship missiles at a US Navy Surface Action Group from 100 nautical miles away. Can the US ships accurately locate the submarine, launch a Sea Lance W89, and destroy the Oscar before it escapes the nuclear blast radius?
Watch to see how this fascinating piece of Cold War military technology performs in one of the most challenging anti-submarine warfare scenarios imaginable.
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