The Drive rated the first electric torpedo created in Russia since the Cold War
The attention of The Drive portal was attracted by the news that an electric torpedo successfully passed state tests in Russia. This was recently announced by the General Director of the corporation "Tactical Missile Weapons" Boris Obnosov.
The developer did not disclose any details or even the name of the torpedo. It is only known that it is more advanced than the Soviet predecessor of the USET-80 and " significantly surpasses Western models in terms of noiselessness, range, depth of immersion and target detection range by the homing system",
The American expert suggests that we may be talking about a multi-purpose remote-controlled torpedo TE-2. It is designed to destroy both submarines and large surface vessels, as well as stationary surface targets, including port infrastructure.
The TE-2 can be launched from standard 533 mm torpedo tubes on submarines, as well as from surface ships.
Wire-guided torpedoes can change the geometry of the attack or even completely shut down at the direction of the fire control operator. This method also offers a better chance of neutralizing countermeasures such as false targets and silencers, as the operator can use the submarine's sonar data instead of the torpedo's onboard sonar data with low accuracy.
According to another version, this is the UET-1 "Ichthyosaur" torpedo, developed by the Dagdiesel enterprise in Dagestan. "Regardless of what type of torpedo is currently in service, any new weapon with an electric drive will have certain advantages over "thermal" designs, " the observer concludes. Electric torpedoes are much safer to handle and generally easier to produce. Maintenance is also easier.
Electric torpedoes have other advantages, as explained by retired US Navy submariner Aaron Amick. They are often modular in design, allowing batteries to be connected in series to give certain versions of a particular weapon a longer range, while fewer batteries can create lighter and more maneuverable, but shorter versions. However, it is not entirely clear whether there is such a possibility in the new Russian weapons.
Obnosov did not say how widely the electric torpedo would be used, but one would expect that samples of the latest submarines of the Russian Navy were given priority in obtaining such weapons. Among the submarines with 533 mm torpedo tubes are the Borey-class nuclear submarine, the Yasen-class nuclear submarines, and the Lada-class diesel-electric attack submarine.
Russian surface ships also traditionally have torpedo tubes, and the Admiral Grigorovich frigate may be one of the possible candidates for a new weapon.
In recent years, Russia's efforts to develop a new generation of naval weapons have focused on more powerful cruise missiles, including hypersonic weapons, as well as air defense systems. However, torpedoes, in general, remain very powerful weapons for use against submarines and surface targets, especially when launched by advanced submarines originally designed to be difficult to detect.
"Be that as it may, a new electric - powered torpedo to replace the obsolete Soviet-era types that remain in service can only be a boon for the submarines and surface fleet of the Russian Navy," the author concludes.
Oleg Koryakin