The sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena by a single Mk 48 torpedo has put renewed focus on the U.S. Navy’s primary undersea weapon, a heavyweight torpedo that first entered operational service in 1972 and has been steadily upgraded for modern naval warfare.

The strike on the IRIS Dena marked the first time since World War II that a U.S. submarine used a torpedo to sink an enemy ship.

«In the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet Death,» War Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The Navy says the Mk 48 has long served as its principal undersea weapon, designed to «defeat all threat surface ships and submarines in all ocean environments.»

The Mk 48 is a submarine-launched torpedo that uses information from the launching submarine and its own sensors to find and strike submarines or surface ships.

Physically, the weapon is built for destructive power. According to Navy specifications, the torpedo measures 21 inches in diameter, weighs about 3,744 pounds and carries a 650-pound high-explosive warhead.

According to the Department of the Navy’s fiscal year 2025 budget estimates, a single Mk 48 torpedo costs approximately $4.2 million.

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Sailors position a Mk 48 Advanced Capability torpedo onto the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Scranton (SSN 756) on June 24, 2021, as part of ongoing U.S. Navy operations in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Josue L. Escobosa/Released)

Lockheed Martin, one of the Mk 48 torpedo program’s primary contractors, says it can be guided in real time by wire from the launching submarine, allowing operators to update targeting information and adjust its course after launch. 

If the wire connection is lost, the torpedo can switch to autonomous homing, relying on digital guidance systems and onboard signal processing to continue its pursuit independently.

Over time, the torpedo has evolved through hardware variants known as «Mods,» each integrating upgraded sensors, guidance and control systems, and propulsion improvements. 

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U.S. Navy Petty Officer Devin Simpson checks an MK 48 torpedo aboard the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota during a port visit at HMAS Stirling in Rockingham, Western Australia, on Feb. 26, 2025. (Colin Murty/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

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The current fleet includes the Mod 7 configuration, developed in partnership with the Royal Australian Navy, while Mod 8 is in development and Mod 9 is being pursued as a rapid prototyping effort, according to the Department of War’s Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.

In addition to hardware upgrades, the Mk 48 undergoes recurring software updates known as Advanced Processor Builds, or APBs, which modify tactics, classification algorithms and operator interfaces to improve performance in increasingly complex undersea environments.

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El riesgo de tornados y tormentas graves se ha incrementado en amplias zonas de Texas y Oklahoma durante los primeros días de marzo, según pronósticos del Storm Prediction Center (SPC) y el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (NWS) de Estados Unidos. Las advertencias, vigentes desde el jueves, afectan a millones de personas, ya que la actividad tormentosa se intensifica en el centro-sur del país, coincidiendo con el inicio de la temporada primaveral de eventos climáticos extremos.

De acuerdo con la NOAA, el SPC ha elevado el nivel de alerta para partes del oeste de Oklahoma y el Panhandle de Texas a un “nivel 3 de 5” por tormentas graves. Esto implica probabilidad de tornados de intensidad EF-2 o superior, granizo grande y vientos destructivos. El viernes se mantiene como el día con mayor peligro, con advertencias de superceldas que pueden generar tornados y caída de granizo superior a 7,6 centímetros (3 pulgadas) de diámetro.

El inicio de marzo marca habitualmente la temporada de tormentas fuertes en el sur y centro de Estados Unidos. El patrón atmosférico responde a la interacción de aire seco de las Rocky Mountains y aire caliente y húmedo del Golfo de México, un fenómeno conocido como dryline, habitual en la formación de estos episodios, según lo detallan The Weather Channel y el NWS.

El área de mayor peligro se extiende desde el oeste de Texas y Oklahoma hasta el centro de Kansas y el valle del Mississippi. Millones de habitantes de Oklahoma City, Dallas, Wichita y Kansas City se encuentran en la trayectoria de este sistema. El NWS advierte que “las condiciones para el desarrollo de superceldas serán óptimas entre la tarde del jueves y la mañana del sábado, con especial atención al viernes”.

Las autoridades meteorológicas señalan potencial de tornados en cualquier tormenta que surja por delante del frente principal. El SPC puntualiza que la amenaza de tornados fuertes aumenta en zonas donde la cizalladura y la humedad son elevadas.

Este episodio tiene como clave la formación de una dryline bien definida sobre el oeste de Texas y Oklahoma, línea divisoria entre aire seco y húmedo. El NWS explica: “La interacción de la dryline con la llegada de un sistema en altura y el calentamiento diurno propiciará una atmósfera inestable, capaz de disparar tormentas severas con rápido desarrollo vertical”.

El SPC detalla que una combinación de humedad abundante, temperaturas elevadas y una fuerte cizalladura vertical crea condiciones aptas para granizo grande y tornados. El riesgo se mantendrá activo desde la tarde del jueves hasta la madrugada del sábado, avanzando hacia el este conforme el sistema se desplace.

El NOAA y el SPC han clasificado la amenaza del jueves y viernes como “nivel 3 de 5” (Enhanced). Este rango indica un riesgo elevado, pero no extremo, para áreas seleccionadas del centro-sur de Estados Unidos. El aviso oficial advierte sobre “tornados de intensidad EF-2 o superior, vientos con ráfagas de hasta 120 kilómetros por hora (75 mph) y granizo mayor a 7,6 centímetros (3 pulgadas) de diámetro”.

El NWS prevé que el viernes será la jornada de mayor probabilidad de fenómenos graves, especialmente desde el norte de Texas hasta el centro de Kansas y el oeste de Missouri. Según la agencia, la amenaza de granizo gigante estará focalizada en el norte de la tormenta, mientras que el riesgo tornádico será más alto en el centro de Oklahoma y el norte de Texas.

Las autoridades han emitido avisos preventivos e instan a la población a mantenerse informada a través de fuentes como el NWS y la NOAA. El SPC implementa desde este año herramientas avanzadas como el Conditional Intensity Guidance (CIG), para identificar con anticipación posibles focos de actividad tornádica.

El NWS aconseja: “Se recomienda a quienes residen en las zonas señaladas que revisen sus planes de emergencia y estén atentos a cualquier actualización de los avisos”. The Weather Channel destaca que la coordinación con autoridades locales y el acceso a alertas en tiempo real puede ser clave ante estos eventos.

Marzo suele ser el punto de partida de la temporada de tormentas graves en el centro y sur de Estados Unidos. Conforme explica The Weather Channel, en este mes “el incremento de la temperatura y la humedad, junto con la llegada de sistemas frontales activos, suele provocar la aparición de los primeros brotes de tornados y granizo severo en la región de Tornado Alley”.

El año pasado, el SPC contabilizó más de 800 tornados entre marzo y mayo en Estados Unidos, con la mayoría de los eventos en Texas, Oklahoma y Kansas. La amenaza de tormentas severas se intensifica a medida que avanza la primavera, alcanzando su máximo entre abril y junio, según datos del NOAA.

El desarrollo del sistema de tormentas puede causar interrupciones en el suministro eléctrico, daños en infraestructuras y complicaciones en la movilidad terrestre y aérea en las zonas bajo aviso. Las autoridades reiteran el llamado a atender las recomendaciones oficiales y prepararse ante posibles emergencias.

El avance del fenómeno hacia el este podría mantener la actividad tormentosa durante el fin de semana, con lluvias intensas y granizo potencial en el valle del Mississippi. Las agencias meteorológicas realizan monitoreo constante y actualizarán las alertas según evolucionen los datos atmosféricos y de radar en tiempo real.

El seguimiento sobre el centro y sur de Estados Unidos continuará bajo alta vigilancia, con monitoreo permanente de NOAA, SPC y NWS ante cualquier actualización relevante sobre la temporada de tormentas severas.

While running as a moderate with bipartisan appeal, Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, for the Democratic Senate nomination, has a history of making controversial statements on matters of religion, race, gender, border security and beyond.

With Talarico in the national spotlight for the first time, many commentators and strategists are resurfacing some of his past remarks. Among them is a 2021 video of Talarico on the Texas House floor in Austin opposing a bill to ban men from women’s sports and claiming that «God is non-binary.»

«God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is non-binary,» said Talarico, adding, «Trans children are God’s children, made in God’s own image.»

A self-identified Presbyterian seminarian, Talarico casts many of his political stances in Christian and biblical language. However, while speaking on a January episode of The Ezra Klein Show, Talarico appeared to equivocate Christianity with other religions, including Hinduism and Islam.

«I believe that Jesus Christ reveals that reality to us, but I also believe that other traditions reveal that reality in their own ways, with their own simple structures. And I’ve learned more about my tradition by learning more about Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam and Judaism. And so, I see these beautiful faith traditions as circling the same truth about the universe, about the cosmos,» he said.

Despite his use of biblical language, Talarico’s stances on many core religious issues stand in stark contrast with most traditional Christian denominations.

He has used the Bible to defend abortion and, on his campaign website, advocates codifying Roe v. Wade into national law. On an episode of «The Joe Rogan Experience» last year, Talarico said the story of Jesus Christ’s incarnation justifies his support for abortion.

«I say all this in the context of abortion, because before God comes over Mary, and we have the incarnation, God asks for Mary’s consent … so to me, that is an affirmation in one of our most central stories that creation has to be done with consent. You cannot force someone to create … so that’s how I come down on that side of the issue.»

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe in 2022, Talarico said, «This summer, more than half our population became second-class citizens. Every one of our neighbors with a uterus became the property of the State. And nothing is more un-Christian.»

In a video going viral on social media, Talarico appears to be giving a sermon in a church in which he says, «Did they teach you in Sunday school that Jesus Christ himself was a radical feminist?»

Beyond religion, he has also taken stances that break with common scientific understanding. In a Texas House Committee on Public Education hearing, he stated that «Modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes; in fact, there are six.»

During the same hearing, he went even further, saying, «The point is that biologically speaking, scientifically speaking, sex is a spectrum, and oftentimes can be very ambiguous.»

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Texas state Rep. James Talarico on the Texas House of Representatives floor in Austin. (James Talarico Senate campaign)

In another sermon, he said that the use of the term «woman» in the context of women’s rights should not be understood as an «exhaustive» term.

«Our trans community needs abortion care too. Defending trans Texans is something we have to do every day at the state capitol, and you better believe I’ll be giving sermons on that too,» he said, continuing, «So when I use the word ‘woman,’ it should not be understood as an exhaustive lens through which we understand, examine and interrogate patriarchy. Similar to how we specify anti-Black racism.»

In a series of 2020 tweets, Talarico referred to racism as a «virus» spread by all white people, regardless of whether they exhibit its «symptoms.»

«White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus. But we spread it wherever we go —through our words, our actions, and our systems. We don’t have to be showing symptoms—like a white hood or a Confederate flag—to be contagious,» he wrote, adding, «The only cure is diagnosing the virus within ourselves and taking dramatic actions to contain the spread. The first small step is proclaiming loudly and unequivocally that #BlackLivesMatter.»

On the Senate campaign trail, Talarico has framed his candidacy as one in opposition to billionaires, who he said are «destroying» the U.S.

«The only thing the media wants to ask me about are trans athletes. The only minority destroying this country is the billionaires,» he said during an interview with MSNBC. «Trans people are 1% of the population. Undocumented people are 1% of the population. We are all focused on the wrong 1%. Trans people aren’t taking away our healthcare. Undocumented people aren’t defunding our schools. It’s the billionaires and their puppet politicians.»

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Dallas Police investigate the scene where a shooter opened fire on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025 in Dallas. (Stewart F. House)

He has also harshly criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, accusing them of using terror to target immigrant families.  

«Those neighbors of ours deserve a lot better than ICE terrorizing them and their children, ICE tearing families apart,» he said in an interview with local outlet KRWG.

Regarding border security, Talarico said during the Texas Democratic Senate debate against Crockett that «Our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a giant welcome mat out front and a lock on the door.»

He continued, «We can welcome immigrants who want to live the American dream. We can build a pathway to citizenship for those neighbors who have been here, making us richer and stronger, and we can keep out people who mean to do us harm.»

Talarico defeated Crockett in the Democratic primary by a comfortable margin despite her already having a national following. Now, Democrats believe that Talarico stands a good chance to flip a Texas Senate seat blue for the first time in 33 years.

Among Talarico’s top supporters is progressive Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, who celebrated his primary victory by posting on X that «James Talarico is the future of the Democratic Party.»

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State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee in Texas, shakes hands with supporters at his primary night celebration, on March 3, 2026, in Austin. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

«He unites working people of all kinds to take on the billionaires who are making life unaffordable. He’s going to show Texas Republicans how powerful working people are when we stand together. On to victory in November,» wrote Casar.

JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by dismissing criticism of Talarico’s comments as «stale attacks to mislead Texans.»

In an emailed statement, Ennis told Fox News Digital that «John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, Greg Abbott and the billionaires who prop them up are scared of James Talarico for good reason: our campaign is building a movement poised to change the politics of this state and take power back for working people.»

«While they lob stale attacks to mislead Texans, we are uniting the people of Texas to win in November.» 

Meanwhile, conservative pundits believe Talarico will fail to gain the bipartisan appeal needed to flip Texas blue.

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Matthew Schmitz, a conservative commentator, wrote on X, «James Talarico’s woke Billy Graham shtick has the same function as Tim Walz’s trans-affirming Elmer Fudd persona. Democrats desperately want a rural/religious-coded white male who can make their most unpopular positions seem American as apple pie.»

Talarico will face off against either longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, or state Attorney General Ken Paxton, depending on which candidate emerges victorious from the GOP’s primary runoff election. The Republican runoff election is on May 26**, and** the general election will take place on Nov. 3.

Talarico and Casar did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. 

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