Saab awarded additional Torpedo 47 contract from Sweden

A Tp 47 torpedo being launched from HMS Karlstad. (Saab)

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (Försvarets materielverk: FMV) has placed a new order with Saab worth SEK1.3 billion (USD134 million) for the delivery of additional Saab Lightweight Torpedoes (SLWTs) and torpedo tubes.

Under the terms of the contract, announced by Saab on 7 May, deliveries will start during 2026. This is the second order from Sweden for the SLWT, with first deliveries to FMV beginning in late 2022.

The SLWT, named Torpedo 47 (Tp 47) by the Swedish Armed Forces, was developed by Saab to replace the legacy Tp 45 weapon in Royal Swedish Navy (RSwN) service and for export. It is a next-generation near-neutrally buoyant 400 mm wire-guided torpedo specifically designed for operation in the complex environment of the Swedish archipelago and the Baltic Sea, which are characterised by shallow water depths, variable salinity, and poor acoustics. Features include a new power and propulsion architecture, a fully digital acoustic homing head, two-way data communications with the launch platform via a wire-guidance link, a highly accurate navigation system, a wide stepless speed range, and significantly improved manoeuvrability.

The Tp 47 became operational with the RSwN in 2023 on the service's Visby-class corvettes and submarines, while the Finnish Navy, as the first export customer, has refitted the weapon to its four Hamina-class fast attack craft (FAC) as part of their Squadron 2000 mid-life upgrade programme (completing acceptance firings in late 2023). The Tp 47 will also be integrated onboard the four new Pohjanmaa-class corvettes being procured under the Finnish Navy's Squadron 2020 programme.

The torpedo is intended primarily to be used from submarines and surface ships, but it is also prepared for integration on helicopters.

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