L3Harris Technologies has announced a key development in its ongoing collaboration with the US Navy: the successful testing of the first energy module for the Stored Chemical Energy Propulsion System (SCEPS). This new system is set to power the MK 54 MOD 2 Increment 2, the next generation of lightweight torpedoes used in anti-submarine warfare.
Completed on August 1, 2025, the energy module test marks a crucial step in verifying the system’s core propulsion capability before broader integration testing later this year. SCEPS, which employs a lithium-based boiler to generate steam and drive a turbine, offers improved speed, endurance, and resilience to countermeasures—making it highly suited for operations in littoral (coastal) environments.
The MK 54, originally developed by Raytheon, is a modular lightweight torpedo deployed from surface ships, helicopters, and P-8A Poseidon aircraft. It integrates technologies from previous torpedo programs like the MK 46, MK 48, and MK 50. Armed with a 43.9 kg warhead and equipped with an advanced acoustic guidance system, it is designed to neutralize modern submarine threats in cluttered acoustic environments.
L3Harris’ Orlando-based undersea propulsion facility—the only one of its kind in the US—manufactures the SCEPS system. Beyond government contracts, L3Harris is investing its own funds into prototype development, demonstrating its strategic commitment to the future of undersea warfare. The new propulsion system will eventually replace older Otto II-fueled combustion engines, representing a leap forward in thermal efficiency and mission effectiveness.
As undersea dominance returns to the forefront of naval strategy, this propulsion breakthrough not only enhances the lethality of future torpedoes but also underscores L3Harris’ expanding role in the US Navy’s high-tech modernization plans.
