25 km (13 nmi) low-speed, 10 km (5.4 nmi) high-speed
Maximum depth
400 m (1,300 ft)
Maximum speed
24–36 kn (44–67 km/h)
Launch platform
Surface ships and submarines
The A184 is an Italian heavyweight wire-guided torpedo originally developed by Whitehead SpA. It can be launched from surface vessels and submarines and locates the target using an acoustic seeker. The torpedo body is of a standard 21-inch (533 mm) form factor.
Description
Development began in 1967, with incremental development continuing until 1978.[1] In spring of 1969, the weapon's development was funded by a contract with the Italian Navy.[2] In 1971, an official staff requirement was issued to develop a replacement for the earlier G62ef Canguro and Second World War-era G7e, the latter of which remained in production by Whitehead until the early 1970s. The new torpedo incorporated battery propulsion modern to the time period.[3] The A184 prototype was tested in 1973 and the weapon entered service in 1974.[4] The seeker head of the A184 possesses digital active and passive terminal homing using two semicircular arrays, one in the vertical and one in the horizontal plane. The weapon is wire-guided with active and passive sonar capabilities. Launch can be accomplished both by pneumatic catapult and in swim-out mode, dependent on torpedo tube hardware. When used by surface ships, the A184 is launched from aft-facing torpedo tubes.[5] In 1997, development began on a replacement, initially designated as A184 Enhanced. This new weapon would be deployed in 2004 as the Black Shark, featuring numerous improvements such as a transition to fiberoptic wire guidance and lithium-polymer batteries. As of 2024, the older A184 Mod 3 remains in service with some navies due to its lower cost and remains listed as a product by Leonardo.[6] Users of the A184 include the Italian[7] and Ecuadorian navies as of 2024.
In Italian service, the A184 was used on surface ships such as the Audace class destroyers and Maestrale class frigates,[8] as well as submarines such as the Sauro class.[9]
In the late 1980s, the A184 Mod 3 underwent trials with the United States Navy, in a bid for the low-cost Anti-Surface Warfare Torpedo (ASuWT) program. Although it passed trials, the program did not result in its adoption.[10]
