Following a long procurement process, the Hellenic Navy (Πολεμικό Ναυτικό) signed an important deal with German company Atlas Elektronik for heavyweight torpedoes.
The deal covers the procurement of new SeaHake mod 4 torpedoes, the upgrade of existing torpedoes and the delivery of spare torpedo batteries.
The information was first reported by local defense media Ptisidiastima. The deal, valued at 105 million Euros, includes the following:
The Hellenic Navy had a requirement to equip its fleet of four Papanikolis-class Type 214 and the single Okeanos Type 209/1500 submarines with new torpedoes.
The need was for 36x 21-inch (533 mm) heavyweight torpedoes to replace the ageing SUT Mod0 and SST-4. Competitors to the German company likely included Naval Group of France and Leonardo of Italy.
Contacted by Naval News, Atlas Elektronik did not reply to their request for confirmation and comment.
The Hellenic Navy is currently involved with an ambitious and wide ranging modernization plan. The plan, approved by the Greek parliament in May this year, consists in:
Regarding the new generation frigates, France and Greece were involved in exclusive negotiations for a while, for FDI type frigates. However, despite the signing of an LOI, it appears now that the procurement will go through an open tender process.
Local sources say that the likely shipbuilders to take part in the tender are:
While this may officially be an open tender, rumor has it that, but based on the requirements and tender parameters, the MMSC design will likely win.
This is partly due to the US involvement with local Greek shipyards.
Further down the road, the Hellenic Navy may procure the Themistocles Corvette and/or the European Patrol Corvette.
According to Atlas Elektronik, the SeaHake mod4 is the dual-purpose and fibre-optic wire-guided heavy-weight torpedo that fully meets the operational requirements of modern Navies, including the Hellenic one. It is specifically designed to meet the confined shallow and blue water environments of today‘s and future naval scenarios.
The propulsion of SeaHake mod4 features the unique modular battery system and an electric motor with very low self noise. It provides high speed and long range combined with exceptional stealth characteristics.
The digital sonar system features the unrivalled conformal array and is able to master complex scenarios. It manages multiple targets while identifying and suppressing any kind of jammers and decoys.
SeaHake Mod 4 is a 6.22 m long torpedo, weighing 1,530 kg and with a standard NATO diameter of 533 mm that will be a huge benefit to the Hellenic Navy. It can reach speeds in excess of 50 knots and a range in excess of 27 nautical miles.