OVERVIEW: The Bofors 375mm is an unguided, short-range anti-submarine rocket designed for surface warships to engage underwater targets using pattern salvos. It delivers a high-explosive warhead with contact or proximity fuzing to neutralize submarines below the surface.

DETAILS: The Bofors 375mm ASW rocket was developed in Sweden in the 1950s as part of a stand-off anti-submarine warfare system for naval ships. The system fires 375mm-caliber fin-stabilized rockets from fixed or rotating launchers in coordinated salvos to cover an area beneath the sea. Each rocket carries a warhead weighing approximately 100 kg, filled with high explosive, and is fitted with either impact or acoustic proximity fuzes. Range varies by model, typically between 300 m and 3,600 m, depending on elevation and charge.

Multiple launcher types were developed, including the twin-barrel Model M/50 and four-barrel Model M/65, allowing salvos of 2, 4, or more rockets in quick succession. The rockets form a pre-set pattern around the estimated submarine location, increasing kill probability. The system’s fire control relies on sonar input and manual or semi-automatic firing solutions. No guidance is present after launch.

The rockets are mounted in deck launchers aimed manually or via simple fire-control systems linked to the ship’s sonar. Rockets are loaded individually and fired in ripple mode to create overlapping underwater pressure waves, destroying or damaging submerged targets by hull rupture or system shock.

NOTE:
IOC: Early 1950s
Operators: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Japan, India
Platforms: Destroyers, frigates, corvettes, ASW escorts
Conflict used in: Cold War naval patrols (1950s–1990s), Indo-Pakistani War (1971)

SOURCE:
Jane’s Weapons: Naval ; Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV): https://www.fmv.se ; Federation of American Scientists (FAS): https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/weaps/bofors-375.htm ; U.S. Navy Weapon Systems Explosive Ordnance Disposal publication ; Department of Defense: https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Publications