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Next Generation National Heavyweight Torpedo AKYA Scores Direct Hit in First Live Fire Test!

Under the AKYA National Heavyweight Torpedo Project, carried out by the Main Contractor ROKETSAN, the first live firing test against a real surface target was conducted on December 27, 2023, in the Gulf of Antalya. The target (decommissioned fleet tug Gazal, A-587) was hit from a distance of 12,000 yards by the TCG Preveze (S-353) Submarine. Following the hit, Gazal swiftly sank within a few minutes, splitting in half. After the successful test, the Serial Production Agreement for AKYA National Heavyweight Torpedo was signed between the Secretariat of Defence Industries (SSB) and ROKETSAN on January 18, 2024.

Tarih: Issue 128 - March 2024

During the weekly press briefing on the activities of the Ministry of National Defence held on December 21, 2023, Rear Admiral (LH) Zeki AKTÜRK, Press and Public Relations Advisor, announced that the firing test of the Next Generation National Heavyweight Torpedo AKYA from the TCG Preveze Submarine would take place in the Gulf of Antalya on December 26, 2023. Rear Admiral AKTÜRK referred to this test as a 'first.' This is because it will be the first firing test conducted with a live warhead.

The firing of the AKYA Torpedo by the TCG Preveze Submarine in the Eastern Mediterranean on December 27, 2023, was monitored in real-time from the Combat Information Center (CIC) of the Gabya Class Frigate TCG Gökova by the Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment TATLIOĞLU, Secretary of Defence Industries President Haluk GÖRGÜN, ROKETSAN General Manager Murat İKİNCİ, and military personnel. With the command "Bismillah Fire at Will!" given by Admiral TATLIOĞLU, the AKYA War Torpedo, launched from 12,000 yards, hit the target ship with pinpoint accuracy. The Magnetic Proximity Sensor on the AKYA Next Generation National Heavyweight Torpedo (HWT) initiates a process that activates the warhead on the torpedo at a certain distance from the target. This allows AKYA to explode at a certain depth below the target ship's hull (about 5m-6m) rather than hitting the ship's hull directly. The resulting double-layered massive air bubble (called the "bubble jet effect") lifts the ship into the air from the middle, causing the ship's keel to split in half. Subsequently, the split ship sinks rapidly. The condition of the decommissioned fleet tug Gazal after the impact of the AKYA HWT was clearly seen in the video shared by the Ministry of National Defence.