India is officially one of the eight countries in the world able to design and build a heavy torpedo. The torpedo Varunastra it was presented a few hours ago by the Minister of Defense Manohar Parrikar and is part of the ambitious program "Make in India", for the indigenous realization of weapon systems and independence from foreign markets.
The 95% of the new torpedo technology is indigenous: it has been defined as the g of the region.
Entirely designed and built by the Naval Science and Technology Laboratory, the Varunastra it is able to operate in deep waters and with a high density of threats. It weighs around 1,25 tons, carries 250 kg of explosives and has a speed of around 40 nautical miles per hour. It is powered by an electric propulsion system with multiple 250 KW batteries.
The Indian Navy has ordered 73 torpedoes. The goal of the Indian government is to propose the torpedo also in international markets. The Ministry of Defense does not reveal the characteristics of the Varunastra nor the units that will be equipped with the new torpedo, designed to be used by different launching platforms, specifically by submarines.
Finally, it is not clear if i Varunastra they will arm the whole class Scorpène after the cancellation of the 300 million dollar contract with Finmeccanica for 98 torpedoes Black Shark.
(photo: MoD India)
