The Indian Ministry of Defence and French defence shipbuilder and technology company the Naval Group have entered into an agreement for the supply of a new type of heavyweight torpedo for the Indian Navy’s Kalvari-class diesel-electric submarines.

The contract, which is worth approximately US$102.4 million, covers the integration of the Naval Group’s F21 electronic heavyweight torpedoes (EHWT) in the Kalvari-class boats.

The first live firing of the F21 EHWT occurred on December 14, 2024, when one example was fired by a French Navy nuclear-powered submarine against a decommissioned corvette.

Integration of the new torpedoes into the Kalvari-class boats will be undertaken jointly by the Indian Navy, the Naval Group, and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

All French Navy submarines are slated to be equipped with the F21 torpedo as a replacement for the wire-guided F17, which was introduced in the early 1970s.

Brazil is the only other export customer for the F21, the Brazilian Navy having received its first examples of the torpedo in early 2020.

Agencies