Zeki Aktürk, Press and Public Relations Counsellor of the Ministry of Defence said in a Press Briefing that “AKYA Training Torpedo” was tested on 08 August 2023 within the scope of the “Modern Submarine Torpedo Supply with National Facilities (AKYA) Term-2 Project. Aktürk stated, “The AKYA passed below a platform at different depths and speeds.”
AKYA, developed by Roketsan with national resources, is planned to replace US and German heavyweight torpedoes.
Aktürk’s declaration hints that AKYA is tested for its blast effect. Akya will most likely be equipped with a warhead designed to break the platform with a “blast” effect by detonating beneath the vessel using its adjustable explosion depth feature.
This type of warhead explodes at a specific depth a few metres below the targeted platform, generating a vast double-layered steam bubble that breaks the keel of the target ship. The steam bubble will rapidly expand and lift the vessel’s hull in the middle, weakening the keel. When the steam bubble bursts, the weakened keel can no longer support the ship’s weight and breaks in two.
The compression of the steam void raises the temperature and causes the bubble to oscillate several times. If the vessel survives the first oscillation, it may be destroyed during the subsequent one.
The torpedo is equipped with a proximity or impact fuse.
