HMS Portland, a Type 23 Frigate, has launched a torpedo on exercise.
HMS Portland is a Type 23 Duke Class frigate. Based at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, she was launched by Lady Heather Brigstocke on 15 May 1999.
The frigate is taking part in Exercise Steadfast Defender. Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER 2024 will be the largest NATO exercise in decades. NATO forces will be exercising across multiple regions and in multiple domains (maritime, land, air, space, and cyber).
Earlier this week @HMSPortland observed the wonders of the beautiful Northern Lights. 🌌
Earlier that day we conducted Drill Torpedo firings 💥, proving our weapon deployment capabilities as part of #SteadfastDefender24 pic.twitter.com/IHFApgmXWK
— HMS Portland (@HMSPortland) March 17, 2024
The vast scale of this exercise will occur over several months and thousands of kilometres and will involve tens of thousands of Allied troops, all showcasing NATO capabilities to deter adversaries and defend allied territory.
Just the one torpedo, was it?
If you follow the link to X, they launch one from a Merlin as well so no, one from each platform.
or…the same one with a quick de prep/ re prep in between!
or two different ones because they didn’t take the ballast weights out on the first one. I know a maintainer who did that …not me I should add…
I still see very little point in firing torpedo’s like this, way too short ranged. Hopefully the new drones will solve this issue without having to resort to rocket fired torpedoes from a VLS.
The issue with a drone over a VLS torpedo/rocket, is the time to target. A drone such as the Malloy T600 prototype has to be operating in that area to drop the lightweight torpedo within range of the target. In a worse case scenario, the drone is tied down on the deck waiting! So there’s also the time delay of unshackling it. As an example, if the ship/Merlin detected a target 20km away. With a top speed of 100mph (87mph) whilst carrying a torpedo. The T600 drone will take about 8.6 minutes to get to the 20km drop point. Whereas… Read more »
You obviously have not operated in sea states where aircraft or drones cannot be launched such at the north Norwegian Sea in the winter. Ship capability is vital and before you talk about submarine advantage in range detection in those sea states this diminishes rapidly. Just equalling up your comments and PS I was an SSN watch leader for 5 years.
No plans to have torpedo launchers on T26/T31 but apparently still worthwhile enough to keep updated and drill with!!!
BAEs Future Lightweight Torpedo has both VLS launch and torpedo tube launch on BAEs page.
T26 hasn’t actually entered service yet so it doesn’t make sense to criticise it for weapons it does or doesn’t have.
I thought they had no plans to add torpedos to t26?
BAEs future lightweight torpedo has a video which half way through shows a British variant T26. It points to air launched torpedos on a merlin and some UAVs on the flight deck, VLS launched from the MK41 and tube launched from behind the boat bay.
No idea if RN will fit it, presumably they can be fitted as Aussie and Canadian T26 have them. At a minimum at least there is an ASROC version.
Can these torpedoes be used against surface targets ?
I mean theoretically sure, but they’ll never be close enough to one.
No.
A warshot Sting Ray has a ceiling height setting that prevents it going to close to the surface. It was added to stop the things Porpoising in and out of the water during the engagement. It was a thing they discovered during development in the late 70s/early 80s. Any surface target would need to be of a certain draft greater than the ceiling height.
Not their role. These are lightweight anti submarine homing torpedoes, not ship killing heavyweight, much longer ranged torpedoes as used by our subs, successors to the torpedoes used by subs & surface warships in WW2.
If they did/could hit a ship they would make a pretty useful hole
It’s long time since I’ve seen a RN ship launch a torpedo! As others note, if an enemy sub is close enough for a lightweight torpedo to potentially reach it then you are in big trouble!. But they do have a potential new role as a short range quick reaction weapon for use against the emerging threat from AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) and XLUUVs (Extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles).
Is there not a case in the littoral environment such as inner / outer Hebrides, Norway etc, where the contact may be lurking around the next corner with very short timescales to react.
Yep. Exactly this.
Add the quietness of a T23/26 to the range and transit speed of a Mod 1 SR then range is less of an issue
Would there be a case of reverting to a deck launched torpedo, rather than an underwater system, once the lightweight design comes along? Or do the negatives stack up more against having something on deck rather than underwater?
AA
Primary delivery for the RN has always been by helo. STWS and MTLS have always been quick reaction for pop ups targets especially in the Fjords etc where detection is problematic for everyone.
The BAe lightweight design still looks like Sting Ray in body shape and probably weighs in at around the same 300kg. The UK spent a lot of time and effort designing SR for an optimal high speed hull form. That effort should not be forgotten. Why reinvent the wheel?
I may be wrong but I believe the RN is the only western navy that is no longer putting lightweight torpedoes on its escorts…in other navies even the AAW destroyers have them. so once the type 23s go no RN escort will have organic lightweight torpedos….it’s a brave move. I can see why…it wants to attack subs at distance with rotors. but I do wonder with the rise of drone warfare in navel conflict if the RN is not leaving itself open to attack by sub surface versions of the attritional surface drones Ukraine has been using to hammer the… Read more »