The A244/S is an Italian lightweight, fire-and-forget

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

employed for

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...

. It can be launched from surface vessels or aircraft and locates the target using an acoustic seeker. The torpedo body conforms to the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

12.75-inch (323.8 mm) standard and is compatible with USN Mark 32 torpedo tubes.

Description

The A244 was initially conceived at Whitehead Alenia in 1968 as a replacement for the USN Mark 44 Mod 2 and shares many design similarities with the older weapon. A244 entered service in 1971 although development continued through 1973, and mass production began in 1975. The weapon was superseded by A244/S which entered service in 1984. Whereas the A244 used a monotone (single frequency) seeker, the A244/S uses triple frequency pulses and a programmable seeker which can follow search patterns and perform standard maneuvers. Originally equipped with a Selenia Elsag AG70 seeker, work on CIACIO began in 1964, resulting in a 60 kHz CIACIO 60 seeker in 1966 and a 30 kHz CIACIO 30 seeker in 1968. The final version, CIACIO-S, originally appeared in 1972 with laboratory trials in 1973 and static sea trials in 1974, followed by live trials using Mark 44 torpedoes equipped with the new seeker in 1975. Shallow water trials were carried out in 1977-1978. A244/S Mod 1 was ready for delivery in 1987. Mod 0 (intended for torpedo tube launch) and Mod 1 (intended for helicopter launch) had an endurance of at , a length of , and a unit mass of . Mod 2 (intended for fixed-wing aircraft launch) had a length of and an endurance of . All of the older versions used a lead-acid battery power source and carried a warhead. The present-day version is the A244/S Mod 3, manufactured by Leonardo Sistemi di Difesa. The A244/S Mod 3 was announced in October 1998. The Mod 3 was engineered by retrofitting the MU90 torpedo, particularly its guidance system. The power source was re-engineered to use a

silver oxide battery A silver oxide battery Battery nomenclature#IEC_electrochemical system codes for primary batteries, (IEC code: S) is a primary cell using silver oxide as the cathode material and zinc for the anode. These cells maintain a nearly constant nomin ...

. The Mod 3 torpedo uses a CIACIO-S seeker, consisting of an acoustic homing head containing the transducer assembly, transmitter, and related

beamforming Beamforming or spatial filtering is a signal processing technique used in sensor arrays for directional signal transmission or reception. This is achieved by combining elements in an antenna array in such a way that signals at particular angles ...

circuits, and a frame housing all the remaining electronic components. The seeker head contains 36 transducers in an 6x6 array, capable of generating eight acoustic beams. The homing head is capable of active, passive, and mixed modes for closing onto its target. It can also discriminate between decoys and real targets in the presence of heavy reverberations especially emitted pulses and signal processing. Signal processing is digital, utilizing FFT. A new A244/S Mod 4 variant has been developed, available both as a newly produced torpedo or as an upgrade kit for existing Mod 3 weapons; the Mod 4 has enhanced performance (higher top speed and improved endurance) and increased maneuvrability thanks to the redesigned tail controls with 4 independent rudders (similarly to the MU90 Impact). In 2021 WASS announced the A244/S Mod 4 torpedo had been selected by an undisclosed launch customer, and as of 2025 the company claims the type has been ordered by two unspecified operators in Asia.

Operators

Current operators

* - 25 ordered in 2011 * - 540 The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems, pag.728
/ref> * * - 50 (as ET52 torpedo) * - 781 * - 72 * - 450 (NST58 torpedo, another derivative) * - 88 * - 12 * - 12 * - 75 * - 18 * - 12 * - 72 * - 6 (for familiarization before delivery of MU90) * - 250 Mod 1; 100 Mod 3 * - 80 Swedish designation Torped 44 (Bought as a stopgap during the Submarine Crisis in the 80s while waiting for the new Swedish Torped 45) * - 120 * - 50 * - Ordered in 2010 for Project 58250 frigates * - 50 Mod 1 ordered April 1997 for 29.5 million dollars; 24 + 25 ordered in 2005 for 12 million Euros * - 150

Future operators

; *

Bulgarian Navy The Bulgarian Navy () is the navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; name ...

: In October 2022 Bulgarian government decided the purchase A244-S for the two future patrol ships of Bulgarian navy. Bulgarian Navy will receive 24 A244-S mod.3 torpedoes and supporting equipment for the price of 39.3 mln euros. The torpedoes also will be used from Bulgarian navy Eurocopter AS565 Panther helicopters. The first ship is under construction and will be commissioned in 2025.

Bibliography

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References

External links

* {{cite web, last=Tony DiGiulian, url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTIT_List.php#Post-World_War_II, title=List of Torpedoes of Italy - Post WWII
Jane's Air-Launched Weapons: A.244/S lightweight torpedoA244/S Mod. 3
Eurotorp
A244 DatasheetDeagel.com
specifications

Torpedoes of Italy Aerial torpedoes Military equipment introduced in the 1980s