Turkish Navy extends life of British Tigerfish torpedoes with locally-made warheads Millions of dollars saved / photo / video

The Turkish Navy has successfully upgraded its British-made Tigerfish submarine torpedoes with domestically produced warheads, significantly extending their operational life and saving millions of dollars in the process.

The original warheads of the Tigerfish torpedoes, acquired in earlier years, had reached the end of their service life. In response, Turkish defence company Roketsan developed and integrated new indigenous warheads, allowing the torpedoes to be redeployed on submarine platforms under the command of the Turkish Navy, Caliber.Az reports, citing the X page of the defence portal SavunmaSanayiST.com.

Roketsan üretimi Milli Ağır Sınıf Torpido ile bugüne kadar 54 atış gerçekleştirildi.

Seri üretim teslimatları devam eden AKYA, geliştirilen özel sistem sayesinde denizaltılara entegre edildi. pic.twitter.com/dhTvuj0LkX

— SavunmaSanayiST.com (@SavunmaSanayiST) May 6, 2025

Originally procured in 1994 at a cost of approximately $840,000 per unit, the price of a modern Tigerfish torpedo has now risen to between $3 million and $3.5 million. By modernising rather than replacing the torpedoes, Türkiye has managed to avoid substantial costs while maintaining its submarine strike capabilities.

Roketsan’s efforts go beyond refurbishment, as the company continues deliveries of its nationally developed heavy torpedo, AKYA. Turkish submarines have conducted 54 test launches of the AKYA torpedo to date, and serial production is currently ongoing.

The integration of AKYA into existing submarine platforms has been streamlined thanks to the portable fire control unit, known as TAKB. This system allows compatibility with foreign-made submarine combat management systems, enhancing the flexibility of Türkiye’s undersea warfare capabilities.

At present, all submarines of the GÜR and PREVEZE classes are capable of deploying the AKYA torpedo, reinforcing Türkiye's push for greater defence self-reliance through indigenous development and modernisation.

Technical characteristics of the heavy-class torpedo AKYA

Range: 50+ kilometres

Speed: 45+ knots

Targets: Submarines, surface ships

Guidance head: Active/passive sonar with wake-guidance and acoustic countermeasure capability

Guidance mode: Internal control; External control via fibre optic cable

By Khagan Isayev