The Netherlands is entering the concrete planning stage for the procurement of a so-called anti-torpedo torpedo (ATT) for its navy. According to an information letter from the Dutch Ministry of Defense to the parliament in The Hague on April 23, a “’hard-kill’ system is to be introduced – to destroy torpedoes and unmanned underwater vehicles before they reach their target.” The Dutch Navy’s ASW (Anti Submarine Warfare) frigate will reportedly be the first platform to be equipped with the ATT system. Air defense frigates, amphibious transport ships and submarines will also receive this technology.
By Lars Hoffman / Hartpunkt.
According to the Ministry of Defense, it is participating in a PESCO development project for the ATT with other European countries. According to the communication to Parliament, the project requires an investment between 250 million and one billion euros, which is to be financed from the defense investment budget between 2025 and 2039.
The planning of the PESCO development project envisages that a demonstration model of the ATT will be further developed into a production-ready design by 2028. A qualified ATT is then to be procured for the Dutch Navy from 2029.
The torpedo defense system is apparently the SeaSpider ATT product, which is being financed by Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK.
According to well-informed sources, “initial rate production” is due to start in 2025 in order to provide systems and hardware for the certification and introduction of the weapon system. This is to be implemented as part of the multinational PESCO program of the European Defence Agency (EDA) in the period from 2026 to 2028.
As described in the communication to the Dutch parliament, SeaSpider ATT is to go into series production before the end of this decade and be deployed on NATO warships. In addition to the Netherlands and Germany, Canada has also been repeatedly mentioned as a potential user in the past.
The development of SeaSpider comes at a time when the revitalization of anti-submarine warfare capabilities is seen as a priority in NATO. A reliable torpedo defense that protects platforms from all types of heavyweight torpedo threats is seen as an essential part of this effort. According to experts, only a hard-kill defense system promises a sufficiently high defense probability due to advances in torpedo technology.
A hard-kill weapon system such as the SeaSpider actively attacks an attacking torpedo to destroy it, regardless of its type, its homing function or its attack scenario.
According to reports, the SeaSpider features a novel ATT design that is said to be effective, inexpensive and easy to integrate. A solid rocket motor was chosen as the propulsion system, which is currently unique for underwater missiles. The propulsion concept is intended to offer cost-effective, compact and high performance, enable deployment even in shallow waters and is likely to be of central importance for the SeaSpider’s “last mile” concept for short-range defense.
According to experts, the SeaSpider ATT’s sonar system was specially developed for the anti-torpedo mission in order to offer high efficiency against approaching torpedoes in the wake of a platform and to minimize the interference potential for other sonars in use at the same time.
According to experts, the shape of the SeaSpider corresponds to that of a Very Lightweight Torpedo (VLWT) with around a third of the weight of a Lightweight Torpedo (LWT), as used by NATO navies against submarines.
Special equipment onboard is intended to ensure immediate operational readiness. This and savings in unit costs should enable navies to deploy SeaSpider in sufficient numbers. According to experts, the focus is on lean logistics with a containerized “all-up round” and a long shelf life, which should further reduce the overall system costs compared to conventional underwater weapons.
Tests successfully completed
According to reports, SeaSpider development models and prototypes have already undergone intensive testing under real operating conditions in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the Atlantic at the respective defense technology departments of the German and Dutch navies. The entire functional chain of the hard-kill torpedo defense system, from detection to intercept, has been successfully demonstrated in several tests on various ships.
According to reports, the SeaSpider received its target detection data from various sonar systems and was able to successfully intercept different types of torpedoes. Both acoustic and wake-seeking heavyweight torpedoes were intercepted in various challenging shallow and deep water scenarios.
This article by Lars Hoffman was originally published in German language at Hartpunkt.de. It has been translated and republished with authorization.
