Leonardo to deliver upgraded Black Shark torpedoes for Italian Navy Type 212A submarines

Italian Navy’s second-generation Type 212A submarines will be fielding an upgraded version of the Black Shark heavy torpedo, the company in charge of delivering the torpedoes to the navy has announced.

Defense contractor Leonardo said it has received a contract to deliver the Black Shark Advanced (BSA) torpedoes and associated logistic support services. The new equipment is being acquired to increase the boats’ anti-submarine warfare capability.

The Black Shark Advanced is the latest version of a heavy torpedo which is also in use in Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Portugal and Singapore. This version can be optimized for both training and operational purposes.

As explained by Leonardo, a newly developed rechargeable battery is used in training scenarios that allows a higher number of launches – up to one hundred – compared to that of previous versions, providing significant cost savings.

In the operational configuration, the BSA is equipped with a battery that ensures an increase in capabilities and performance.

The BSA will be delivered for the ITS Pietro Venuti and ITS Romeo Romei submarines which entered service in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Italy also operates two older Type 212 submarines, delivered in 2006 and 2007, and four diesel-electric Sauro-class boats.