The Indian Ministry of Defence and the Naval Group, a French defence shipbuilding and technology business, have agreed to deliver a new type of heavyweight torpedo for the Indian Navy’s Kalvari-class diesel-electric submarines.
The deal, valued roughly US$102.4 million, includes the integration of the Naval Group’s F21 electronic heavyweight torpedoes (EHWT) into the Kalvari-class vessels.
On December 14, 2024, a French Navy nuclear-powered submarine launched the F21 EHWT at a decommissioned corvette in the first live test of the weapon.
The Indian Navy, Naval Group, and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will work together to integrate the new torpedoes into the Kalvari-class boats.
All French Navy submarines will be outfitted with the F21 torpedo as a successor for the wire-guided F17, which was launched in the early 1970s.
Brazil is the sole other export buyer for the F21 torpedo, with the Brazilian Navy receiving its first examples in early 2020.
