Achieving Self-Reliance: India Produces Homegrown Torpedo

In a major step towards “Make in India,” India produced a domestically made torpedo called  “Varunastra,” raising the country to be one of the eight countries in the  world to have the capability to design and build such a weapon.

“Varunastra” is capable of targeting quiet and stealthy submarines, both in deep and shallow waters in intense countermeasure environments.

“Varunastra” was developed by the Naval Science and Technology Laboratory, a unit of DRDO. The torpedo is an indigenous state of the art heavyweight ship-launched anti-submarine electric torpedo. Its weight is around 1.25 tonnes, carries 250 kg of explosives and has a speed of around 40 nautical miles per hour.

The Indian navy has ordered 73 such torpedoes.

Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said that it will not only be a boost to country’s indigenous capabilities but also an opportunity to export to other countries.

“Successful induction of Varunastra into our navy will be a game changer in favor of the warships in the sub surface warfare. This landmark has put navy in elite club of navies across the globe that can boast of self-reliance in under water sensors and under water weapons,” Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba told the media.