Türkiye’s first indigenous heavyweight torpedo AKYA sinks target at live test VIDEO

On December 27, 2023, the Turkish Navy successfully carried out the first live firing test of the Roketsan-made AKYA heavyweight torpedo with a real warhead in the East Mediterranean.

The launch platform was TCG Preveze (S-353), the leading Preveze-class (Type 209/1400) boat, which was recently upgraded with the homegrown MÜREN Combat Management System as part of the “MÜREN PREVEZE” project, Naval News reports.

The target was the ex-TCG Gazal (ex-USS Sioux), a Navajo-class fleet tugboat that served the Turkish Navy and the US Navy for decades.

Just a few minutes after launching, AKYA managed to sink the target in a short time. It should also be noted that AKYA was launched and controlled by the MÜREN combat management system.

Turkish Ministry of Defence announced the successful test-firing of AKYA HWT on its social media accounts hours after the test. The ministry underlined that this test was another milestone for an independent defence industry.

MAVİ VATAN’DAKİ YENİ GÜCÜMÜZ: AKYA! 🇹🇷

27 Aralık’ta TCG PREVEZE denizaltısı tarafından Doğu Akdeniz’de gerçekleştirilen harp atışında, #AKYA ağır torpidosunun hedefi tam isabetle vurması büyük bir heyecanla takip edildi.

Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanı Oramiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu,… pic.twitter.com/9i0MLMU1OQ

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) December 29, 2023

After this test with the real warhead, AKYA HWT achieved initial operational capability. The previous submarine-launched tests of the torpedo were conducted by;

- TCG Gür in the Sea of Marmara on January 20,
- TCG Preveze on March 14, 2023, in the Sea of Marmara.

These tests were conducted without a warhead.

AKYA is a new generation heavyweight torpedo launched from submarines to engage submarines and surface targets of various types. It is a high-speed, long-range torpedo that is fully autonomous or controlled via fibre-optic cable and has an active/passive sonar homing head. In addition, AKYA has wake vortex control for surface targets.

AKYA, which operates at high speeds and long ranges, has an active/passive sonar head, while internal control is via internal and fibre optic cables. It uses wake steering against surface targets.