Varunastra Torpedo - Heavyweight Torpedo Varunastra

What is the Indian Varunastra Torpedo?

The Indian Navy has chosen to induce the indigenous heavyweight Varunastra Torpedo into its arsenal to increase its underwater firepower. Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar inducted Varunastra into the Indian Navy on June 26, 2016. It may be fired from any ASW ship with a heavyweight torpedo launcher.

The Indian Varunastra Torpedo is the only one in existence with a GPS-based locating device. A Torpedo is a self-propelled weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the surface of the water, propelled underwater toward a destination, and intended to detonate on or near the target.

The Naval Science and Technology Laboratory (NSTL) of the DRDO has created the indigenous state-of-the-art heavyweight vessel and launched an anti-submarine electric torpedo. The torpedoes will be produced in cooperation with the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) at the BDL Visakhapatnam facility.

Varunastra Torpedo Specifications

Varunastra Torpedo is an underwater weapon launched by ships, electrically propelled, fitted with one of the most sophisticated automatic and remote-controlled guidance systems. India joined the other eight nations that had created and produced such a powerful anti-system because of the Varunastra. The Varunastra has a warhead that weighs 250 kg and weighs 1.5 tonnes. The following are some details about the Indian Varunastra Torpedo:

• This weapon system uses its artificial intelligence technology to trace the target. It can hit stealth submarines underwater.
• The electric anti-submarine torpedo can travel at 40 or 74 kmph when fired. The operating range is 40 km, and a warhead weighing 250 kg can be carried.
• Once the weapon is fully equipped, the silver oxide-zinc battery delivers a voltage of 400V, a current of 625A, and discharges in 5 minutes.
• The torpedo shell has good structural stiffness and circumferential stress resistance since it is built of a high-strength aluminum alloy.
• It also has advanced autonomous guidance algorithms with low drift navigational aids insensitive warhead, which can operate in various combat scenarios.
• The weapon has completed all environmental qualification tests like shock, vibration, temperature cycling, and marine ecological tests.
• Pressure-transducers positioned on the front, and both sides of the body of the Varunastra produce and receive the sound pulses.
• This has put the Indian Navy in the elite club of global navies that are self-reliant in underwater sensors technology and underwater.

First Production of Varunastra Heavyweight Torpedo

On November 21, 2020, the first production torpedo departed the BDL plant. The Defence Research and Development Organization Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) created the Varunastra for the Indian Navy. In April 2018, BDL received a DRDO licence to produce Varunastra. The business received a contract from the Indian Ministry of Defence in June 2019 to construct the torpedo in bulk for the Indian Navy for a total of 1,187 Crore (US$170 Million).

About Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)

One of India's ammunition and missile system manufacturers is called Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). In 1970, it was established in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. BDL was founded as a foundation for the production of guided missile systems, and it first employed engineers from the aerospace, DRDO, and Indian Ordnance Factories. It started by creating the French SS11B1, a first-generation anti-tank-guided missile.

Some of the products by Bharat Dynamics Limited which contributed to the advancement of the Indian Defence System are as follows:

• NAG Missile: A third-generation (Fire and Forget) mechanized ATGM infantry, capable of destroying armored vehicles fitted with Explosive Reactive Armor, moving and stationary objectives.
• Akash: It is an indigenously built, all-weather, air defence weapon system using a highly explosive, pre-fragmented warhead that can concurrently face various threats.
• Milan 2T: To destroy tanks equipped with Explosive Reactive Armor, moving and stationary objectives, it is a man-portable (Infantry) second-generation ATGM.