Torpedo Success for Thales as RAN Completes Test Firing

The MU90 Lightweight Torpedo completed a successful test firing from HMAS TOOWOOMBA on 18 June, which marks the first time an MU90 has been fired from an Australian warship.

The MU90 is an advanced lightweight anti-submarine torpedo developed by EuroTorp, which has already been acquired by the French, Italian, German, Danish and Polish navies. It will replace the Royal Australian Navy’s existing lightweight torpedo, currently near the end of its shelf life.

The test firing involved the use of an exercise torpedo – a fully functioning torpedo with an electronic recorder that monitors performance instead of an actual warhead.

This sea trial has demonstrated the RAN’s capability to successfully launch the MU90, have it operate to preset commands and correctly classify a target.

On completion of the run, the exercise torpedo performed end-of-run procedures that allowed it to be safely recovered by a Torpedo Recovery Vessel.

The weapon will be refurbished in the Torpedo Maintenance and Integration Facility (TMIF) at HMAS STIRLING in Western Australia. This strategic facility is being established by the Djimindi Alliance, which comprises the Defence Materiel Organisation, Thales Australia and EuroTorp, to provide complete integration and maintenance capability in Australia for the MU90.

The TMIF will be formally opened on 31 July.

Brent Clark, Thales Australia’s Naval division vice president, said the successful test firing of the MU90 from an Australian vessel marked a significant step for both the Alliance and the RAN’s torpedo program:

“The testing of this advanced torpedo is the first step in the adoption of the MU90 across the RAN. We are looking forward to opening the dedicated maintenance and integration facility, which will boost local expertise and capabilities.”

Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, addressing defence, aerospace and security markets worldwide. Thales’s leading-edge technology is supported by 22,000 R&D engineers who offer a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and deploy field-proven mission-critical information systems. Thales employs 68,000 people in 50 countries with 2007 revenues of AUD19 billion. Thales Australia is the leading defence systems and engineering company in Australia and is also present in civil sectors ranging from air traffic management to security systems and services. Employing 3,700 people in over 35 sites around the country, Thales Australia recorded revenues in 2007 amounting to over AUD1 billion.