The F21 is a heavy-weight

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 ...

developed by

Naval Group Naval Group is a major French industrial Corporate group, group specializing in navy, naval defense industry, defense design, development and shipbuilding, construction. Its headquarters are located in Paris. Heir to the French naval dockyards ...

for the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

to replace the F17 torpedo. It is designed to neutralize enemy ships and submarines and capable of operating in deep waters and near coastal areas with high levels of noise and dense shipping.
Source DCNS, 2017-06-22 It is planned to gradually equip all French submarines, starting in 2018. The contract includes the development and delivery of about one hundred F21 torpedoes and their integration into French submarines. New torpedo planned for French navy passes qualification firing
Richard Tomkins,

UPI United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

, 2017-04-23 Naval Group delivered a batch of six torpedoes to the French Navy in November 2019. It has also been selected for the

Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...

with the first batch handed over in January 2020.

Characteristics

History

Concept

The F21 was to be a development version of the Italian

Black Shark torpedo The Black Shark is a heavyweight torpedo developed by WASS of Italy. Development Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei Italy developed the Black Shark torpedo as an evolution of the A184, with more advanced electronic counter-countermeasures (ECC ...

. In 2008 France signed a development contract for 93 heavy torpedoes for its nuclear submarines, to be delivered from 2015. The original plan called for a derivative of the Black Shark to be built by a joint venture between DCNS, Thales and WASS, but they fell out and DCNS will now be developing the F21 Artemis with Thales and Atlas Electronic. The F21 shares similarities with the Black Shark, including an electric motor driven by an aluminum silver-oxide (AgO-Al) battery. and a contra-rotating propeller It has a warhead of PBX B2211, range of and speed of . the project has a €485m budget with a unit cost of €2.3m (FY12), or €5.2m including development costs.

Qualification

The F21 was first tested on DCNS's ''Pégase'' catamaran in February 2013 and a submarine launch was planned for 2014, with production deliveries scheduled to start in late 2015. Qualification testing began in 2016, and were completed in June 2017 off the coast of Var.

References

{{reflist Torpedoes of France

Characteristics

History

Concept

Qualification

See also

References