SST torpedo
{{short description|Series of German torpedoes}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name = SST torpedo
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| type = Torpedo
| origin = Germany
| is_ranged = yes
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| is_missile = yes
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| service = 1972-Present
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| manufacturer = Atlas Elektronik
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| variants = SST-3, SST-4
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| diameter = 533 mm
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| max_range = {{convert|37|km|nmi}}
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| filling_weight = {{convert|260|kg|lb}}
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| speed = {{convert|37|kn|kph}}
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The SST family is a series of German torpedoes.
SST-3 Seal
{{expand section|date=February 2024}}
The SST-3 entered into service in the 1960s.
SST-4 Seal
The SST-4 entered into service in the late 1970s. The SST-4 is nearly identical to the SST-3 with the addition of passive homing.{{cite book |last1=Branfill-Cook |first1=Roger |title=Torpedo: The Complete History of the World's Most Revolutionary Naval Weapon |date=Aug 27, 2014 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing}}
Guidance: The Torpedo was wire guided, but the guidance system only allowed for limited interaction between submarine and torpedo. It featured active and passive homing and could be launched from up to 100 meters deep. Seeker was designed only for surface ships, being superior to original SUT torpedoes at that role, but lacking the ASW capabilities
Range and Speed: Originally featured 2 speed presets, a slower 23 knots speed with a range of 37 kilometers, and a fast 37 knots speed with a range of around 11 kilometers.
Detonator and Warhead: Mod 0 featured an impact fuze, but mod1 also added magnetic fuze, since test showed that seekers winding path could make the torpedo hit target at a sharp angle preventing the contact detonation. Warhead was 260 kg of explosive.
Service history
The SST-4 was employed by the Argentine Navy during the Falklands War{{cite web |last1=Roblin |first1=Sebastien |title=How the Falklands War (Thanks to a Stealthy Submarine) Could Have Gone Very Differently |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/how-the-falklands-war-thanks-stealthy-submarine-could-have-18495 |website=nationalinterest.org |date=27 November 2016 |publisher=The National Interest |accessdate=29 May 2019}} with poor results. The only Argentine operational Type 209 submarine, ARA San Luis (S-32), fired three torpedoes with no hits after all of them failed to work properly. Investigations conducted by Argentine Navy after the conflict came to the results that there was a problem in the seekers who were assembled wrong, and with the support of the manufacturer fixed the entire navy SST-4 supply in the next years, further upgrading them by the addition of magnetic fuze, performing a successful live test in which the newly commissioned ARA Santa Cruz (S-41) sunk the decommissioned destroyer ARA Py (D-27) on June 15, 1987.
In 2018 the Turkish navy destroyed a target ship with a SST-4 Mod 0 fired from the TCG Yildiray.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}
In 2020 the Hellenic Navy destroyed a target ship with a SST-4, fired from the Υ/Β ΠΙΠΙΝΟΣ 214 HN (S121).{{cite web |title=Freighter sunk by Greek Navy, warning to Turkey |url=https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2020/30049/freighter-sunk-greek-navy-warning-turkey-video/ |website=www.fleetmon.com |publisher=fleetmon tracking the seven seas |accessdate=23 June 2020}}
Users
- Argentine Navy
- Hellenic Navy{{cite web |last1=L Valmas |first1=Theodore |title=Hellenic Navy torpedo, helicopter programmes move ahead |url=https://www.janes.com/article/85675/hellenic-navy-torpedo-helicopter-programmes-move-ahead |website=janes.com |publisher=Janes |accessdate=29 May 2019}}
- Turkish Navy
See also
References
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