MU90 Impact

The MU90 was the result of separate projects in France and Italy from the 1980s. In France, a project under the direction of Thomson Sintra created the "Murène" in 1989, while in Italy Whitehead started work on an A244 replacement known as the A290. In 1990 the first attempts to merge the two efforts started, a process that was completed in 1993 with the formation of EuroTorp.[4]

France intended to use the new torpedo on its frigates, Atlantique 2 aircraft, Lynx helicopters and NFH90 helicopters.[1] It originally wanted 1000 units, but the end of the Cold War saw this cut to 600 in 1991, 450 in 2000 and finally 300 in 2008.[1] The project cost the government €1,150m in 2012 prices at a unit cost of €1.6m, or €3.8m including development costs.[1] It received 25 torpedoes a year until 2014.[1]

The MU90 is designed to be capable of discriminating between actual and perceived threat, including a bottomed stationary mini-submarine, known versions of anechoic coatings, and various decoys. It is also capable of launch speeds up to 400 knots (740 km/h; 460 mph), allowing it to be dropped from maritime patrol aircraft flying at high speeds, or rocket-assist launchers. Powered by an electric pump-jet, it can be run at "silent" speeds to avoid giving its location away to the submarine, or "dash" at speeds over 29 knots.[5] It uses a shaped charge warhead that can penetrate any known submarine hull, in particular Soviet double hull designs, while remaining just as deadly in shallow waters where conventional warheads are less effective.

In 1986 France and Italy began a collaboration to develop an anti-submarine missile based on the Italian Otomat missile. France dropped out of the programme but Italy has fitted the MBDA MILAS missile to its Durand de la Penne-class destroyers and FREMM anti-submarine frigates. MILAS is an 800 kg (1,800 lb) missile that can deliver a MU90 to 35 kilometres (19 nmi).

After deciding that its Mark 46 torpedoes were inadequate, Australia set up the JP2070 project in 1998 to buy torpedoes for its Adelaide-class frigates, Anzac-class frigates, AP-3C Orion aircraft, S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters and planned SH-2G(A) Super Seasprite helicopters.[6] The Seasprites were cancelled and the Orions and Seahawks were removed from the MU90 programme on budget grounds; their replacements, the P-8 Poseidon and MH-60R Seahawk will use the US Mark 54 torpedo.[6] The A$639m[6] project to buy a classified number of MU90 has been heavily criticised by the Australian National Audit Office on the grounds of cost, insufficient test firings which failed to reveal defects in the torpedo, and the lack of commonality with the Navy's air-launched torpedoes. The MU90 reached IOC in November 2012.[6]

Map with MU90 operators in blue

•  Australia
•  Denmark
•  Egypt
•  France
•  Germany
•  Italy
•  Morocco
•  Poland — a total of 150 torpedoes were ordered for use on the Mil Mi-14PL and Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters, as well as the ORP Gen. K. Pułaski Perry-class frigate, with deliveries completed in 2012.[7]
•  Greece Greece will obtain MU-90 Torpedo for her new FDI HN.

• Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo — US Navy's equivalent
• Sting Ray (torpedo) — British equivalent
• APR-3E torpedo — Russian equivalent
• A244-S — Italian equivalent
• TAL Shyena — Indian equivalent
• Yu-7 torpedo — Chinese equivalent
• K745 Chung Sang Eo — South Korean equivalent
• Type 97 light weight torpedo (G-RX4) — Japanese equivalent