Atlas successfully tests new SeaHake torpedo with 140km range

Naval electronics and systems products maker Atlas Elektronik, a joint venture company of ThyssenKrupp and EADS, has set a new range record for torpedoes with its SeaHake mod4 ER, a modernised version of DM 2 A4, hitting a target more than 140 km away.

At a test-firing in March 2012, the heavyweight torpedo SeaHake mod4 ER (extended range) achieved a range of over 140 km, setting a new range record for torpedoes, Atlas Elektronik said in a release.

SeaHake mod 4 is the latest advancement of the DM 2 A4 heavyweight torpedo, which is in service with the German Navy as well as other navies in Europe and Asia.

''By fully exploiting the system's unique propulsion and battery technology, it became possible to surpass the maximum ranges usual for modern heavyweight torpedoes in the global market by considerably more than 50 per cent,'' the company said.

''With this record, Atlas Elektronik has set a new benchmark in torpedo technology. Until now, such ranges were hardly even conceivable. We are very proud to have made such a significant advance in torpedo technology, thus giving our customers new possibilities for sea defence,'' said Kai Pelzer, executive director, naval weapons at Atlas Elektronik.

The new version of the SeaHake mod4 is also fitted with innovative navigation and communications technology, enabling extremely precise navigation and control of the torpedo over the entire distance. The SeaHake mod4 ER can be deployed from seagoing platforms as well as from special land-based platforms, the release said.