Indian Navy & NSTL today undertook a successful hover drop of the BDL manufactured Advanced Lightweight Torpedo from a Sea King 42B helicopter as per unconfirmed reports. Safe release & separation was achieved, making it a crucial step towards self-reliance in Air-Based Anti Submarine warfare weapons.
The indigenously-instrumented Torpedo Advanced Lightweight (TAL), developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), successfully cleared its maiden flight trial with a parachute system.
This was the country’s second such trial where the indigenous lightweight torpedo was fired this time from a rotary aircraft.
The lightweight torpedo was designed, developed, produced and inducted into services a decade ago and is used against underwater platforms as part of anti submarine warfare (ASW).
To enhance the range of quick acquisition of the target, the Navy scheduled the launch of TAL from fixed-wing aircraft of the Navy, for precise attacks at desired locations.
The torpedo, along with Torpedo Release Mechanism and Fire Control System, are designed and developed by the NSTL.
The torpedo, on safe separation from the aircraft, descends with the help of a parachute and the TRM detaches the parachute, enabling the torpedo to continue its operation in waters. The parachute is designed by ADRDE, Agra. The TAL can track multiple targets simultaneously using state-of-the-art processor-based signal processing algorithms.