Blue Shark torpedo is about to gain sharper teeth
A P-3 Orion aircraft of the ROK Navy drops a K745 Blue Shark torpedo. (Gordon Arthur)
South Korea is developing an improved variant of its Blue Shark torpedo, plus it will still order CIWS from the US until a new domestic weapon is available later this decade.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in South Korea has selected LIG Nex1 as the preferred bidder to improve the K745 Blue Shark lightweight torpedo.
LIG Nex1 announced this KRW160 billion ($128 million) award on 4 April. DAPA first publicised this Light Torpedo 2 programme last November.
After a development process, the new torpedo should be ready for production by 2029, and other domestic firms will assist LIG Nex1 in developing the improved weapon.
Ji-Chan Kim, CE of LIG Nex1, said, ‘We will strengthen the partnership with involved parties for the Light Torpedo 2 to protect the water of South Korea,
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