"The Mark 44 is a lightweight torpedo which may be launched from surface ships from the Mark 32 torpedo tube or in ASROC or it may be carried by fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft.

It is a whale-nosed weapon with rectangular fins and two contra-rotating propellers that are protected by a ring in the air-launched version. Internally the acoustic sensor is in the nose with the warhead behind it; behind this is the guidance and propulsion section. The gyro and guidance panel occupy a compartment to the middle of the weapon with a 24 kW magnesium silver chloride battery behind it. The rear of the weapon houses the electric motor, the power train and steering drive.

Active acoustic homing is used with a range of 600 to 915 metres. Depth and course settings are by umbilical cable.

The energy directed warhead is designed to penetrate 60 mm of steel behind a 1.000 mm water-filled hull."