Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation Upgrading VA-111 Shkval Supercavitating Torpedo

: Posted On Monday, 22 August 2016 08:48

Naval Forces News - Russia

Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation Upgrading VA-111 Shkval Supercavitating Torpedo

Russian defense company Tactical Missiles Corp. (KTRV) is upgrading the Shkval missile-torpedo under an integrated naval underwater armament development program, Director General Boris Obnosov has told the Rambler News Service in an interview.

Artist Impression: A Shkval torpedo is launched from a submarine

"I am certain that we have achieved parity with our key foreign competitors in a number of spheres and we will overtake them in some of the spheres, once the products enter production. Take for instance the well-known unique Shkval underwater missile. We are working on upgrading it heavily," Obnosov said. In addition, he said the corporation’s subsidiaries carried on their work on the Paket antisubmarine system.

The VA-111 Shkval (meaning squall in Russian) is a supercavitating torpedo developed in the 60ies and 70ies in the Soviet Union. It is capable of speeds in excess of 200 knots (370 km/h) with a range of 3.8 nautical miles (7 km). The VA-111 is launched from 533 mm torpedo tubes at 50 knots (93 km/h) before its solid-fuel rocket ignites and propels it to high speeds. This high speed is due to supercavitation, whereby a gas bubble, which envelops the torpedo, is created by outward deflection of water by its specially-shaped nose cone and the expansion of gases from its engine. This minimizes water contact with the torpedo, significantly reducing drag.

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