BERLIN \u2014 The German military intends to start the procurement process for a novel \u201cAnti Torpedo Torpedo\u201d in 2026, according to a budget planning document published by Politico Europe on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Defense officials plan to allocate \u20ac70 million ($83 million) for the system, marketed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems as a kinetic interceptor to protect naval vessels against incoming torpedoes, according to the document.<\/p>\n
Officials envision consideration of the procurement by the parliamentary budget committee during the panel\u2019s May 6, 2026, session, with a written proposal due to lawmakers two weeks prior.<\/p>\n
In an email to Defense News, a spokesman for the German defense ministry said he could not comment on the document or the program planning specifically.<\/p>\n
Atlas Elektronik, a subsidiary of TKMS, has for years advertised its SeaSpider anti-torpedo torpedo as the world\u2019s first market-ready kinetic interceptor, arguing it\u2019s the only way to reliably eliminate torpedoes with increasingly sophisticated seekers. <\/p>\n
Traditional torpedo defense has relied on tricking torpedo sensors into missing their target.<\/p>\n
Development of the SeaSpider technology began as a joint project between Atlas and the Dutch TNO research organization almost 20 years ago. The work continues now with funding from the European Union\u2019s PESCO<\/a> \u2013 Permanent Structured Cooperation \u2013 framework, a mechanism meant to deepen cross-border defense ties in Europe. <\/p>\n The light torpedo is designed to independently lock onto and kill incoming torpedoes of any kind, serving as a short-distance, hard-kill interceptor. It has onboard sensors and homing abilities, and is uniquely driven by solid-fuel rocket propellant. <\/p>\n