KRONSHTADT, June 29. /TASS/. The JSC Concern Sea Underwater Weapon - Gidropribor (an affiliate of the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation) which has developed a universal small-size torpedo UMT, is ready to produce analogues of this weapon for foreign customers, the concern’s spokesman, Mikhail Kettuyev, told TASS on the sidelines of the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS-2023).
"The thorough tests performed by now enable us to offer these products for export. Moreover, systems of launching small-size torpedoes from unequipped surface vessels have been developed for their operation," he said.
Kettuyev noted that none of the foreign competitors had analogues of such products on offer at the moment.
Earlier, TASS reported that the newest universal small torpedo UMT was being successfully tested.
For the first time, the UMT was displayed by the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation at the IMDS-2023. The two-meter-long torpedo has a caliber of 220 millimeters and mass of about 100 kilograms. It is launched from all types of carriers in all areas of the world ocean. The main task of the UMT is to fight unmanned submersibles. Its operation is possible in both autonomous and remote-control modes.
The JSC Gidropribor’s another high-tech product - electric torpedo TE-2 - is capable of rising to the surface at the end of the practical shooting distance.
"Here (at the stand of the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation at the IMDS - TASS) we have an electric torpedo TE-2," Kettuyev told TASS. "Its practical version is on display. This torpedo is used for the combat training of naval personnel. The head part of it is painted red, so that at the end of its path, when it comes up to the surface, we can easily detect it."
This torpedo has negative buoyancy.
"The green shields cover the floats, which at the end of the distance, [when the training is over] are inflated by the gas coming from the cylinders and lift the torpedo to the surface," Kettuyev explained.
He also noted that the TE-2’s homing system enabled it to engage both underwater and surface targets.
"This little compartment right there in the middle is the instrument compartment, which contains the brains that control the torpedo's trajectory. The head compartment contains the homing system. There are two antennas. One is located on the bow and keeps track of submarines. It’s for the anti-submarine mode of operation. And the one on top follows the trail of the surface ship. It is activated for the anti-surface ship mode of operation. Either of the two settings is selected before the launch," Kettuyev said.
The torpedo’s main large compartment houses the power source - a lithium-ion battery. The torpedo has a range of up to 25 kilometers and travels at a speed of 32 knots (about 60 kilometers per hour).
"Here we also have a command coil with five kilometers of wire. Inside the torpedo there is another 20 kilometers of wire. The torpedo can be sent to a distance of up to 25 kilometers away from the carrier, with its trajectory adjusted on the way, if necessary. The torpedo is operational at depths of to 450 meters," concluded Kettuyev.
These newest torpedoes have not been used during the special military operation in Ukraine, Kettuyev said.
"The new samples have not been used in the zone of the special operation in the Black Sea. We have no enemy there, as Ukraine in fact has no Navy. These torpedoes’ main function is that of a close combat weapon. The same torpedo launchers can be used to fire Kalibr missiles. This feature is most relevant at the moment," he said.
According to the developer, the concern is ready to produce both torpedoes for the Navy, if necessary.
"If there is to be an underwater war, then maybe these weapons will also be in demand. If necessary, we are ready to produce them. The production process does not stop. We make both for our Navy and for foreign fleets on their requests. It's easy to substitute one product for another, choose which one is more affordable and which one is easier to use. At the moment these products are not needed in the area of the special operation, but maybe they will come in handy someday," he said.
"The concern Gidropribor also develops anti-mine warfare systems: mine sweeps, detectors and detonators that can be used in the Black Sea to reduce the naval mine risks," Kettuyev concluded.
IMDS-2023
The IMDS-2023 was held in Kronshtadt on June 21-25. The Ministry of Industry and Trade was its organizer. For the first time ever, the Museum of Naval Glory and the Congressional and Exhibition Center on the territory of tourist and recreational cluster Fort Island have become the event’s venue. The exposition of shipbuilding enterprises brought together over 290 leading Russian and foreign participants. TASS was a strategic media partner of the IMDS-2023.