Iran's New Super-Torpedo Based, Of Course, On Russian Technology

If there is a war, expect to lose an American ship thanks to Russian know-how. As usual.

Iran just test-fired the ultra-fast torpedo, noting that only one other country-- Russia -- has a torpedo that can move through the water at 225 miles per hour.

That's because this Iranian weapon -- called the "Hoot," or "whale" -- is based on the Russian Shkval, according to former Naval Intelligence Officer Edmond Pope. "I was informed in late 1990's by a Russian government official that they were working with Iran on this subject," he tells Defense Tech. "A cooperative demonstration/program had already been conducted with them at Lake Issy Kul in Kyrgyzstan."

The Shkval goes so fast because it creates an air bubble around itself, essentially. The process, known as supercavitation, keeps friction to a minimum. "Instead of being encased in water," New Scientist noted, the weapon "is simply surrounded by water vapour, which is less dense and has less resistance."

Defense Tech notes that Germany is developing an anti-torpedo torpedo which is itself ultrafast, again based on supercavitation technology.

posted by Ace at 12:53 PM

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