France Adds New Torpedo To Submarine Arsenal

Torpedoes are potent weapons, if rarely used. Excluding the sinking of a South Korean ship last March by North Korea, the last torpedo used in combat was by the Royal Navy in the Falklands War, “and they used a torpedo from World War II,” says Marc Le Roy, director of BU ASM (Business Unit Armes Sous Marines), the underwater weapons business of French naval systems developer DCNS.

Nevertheless, France is investing in the development of a new generation of heavyweight torpedo, the F21, which will be the weapon of choice for its nuclear submarines over the next 30-40 years.

“France is the latest country to develop a new heavyweight torpedo,” says Le Roy. Germany and the U.S., he adds, “have made incremental improvements to existing torpedoes, whereas with the F21 we are developing a completely up-to-date product.”

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