Indian torpedoes delivered to Myanmar navy

The Indian government has delivered Advanced Light Torpedo (TAL) Shyena torpedoes to the Myanmar navy on July 12 under a $US37.9 million export deal, reports The Irrawaddy citing India’s military and defence news website.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 16 July 2019, 08:44 AM
Updated : 16 July 2019, 08:47 AM

The torpedoes were manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a public sector enterprise controlled by India’s Ministry of Defence.

An undisclosed number of such torpedoes, which were designed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), had been transferred to the Myanmar Navy (MN), or Tatmadaw Yei, in early July.

Inducted into the Indian Navy in early 2012, the electrically propelled 2.75 metres long, self-homing Shyena weighs 220 kg and is packed with 50 kg of explosive. It can be launched from triple-tube launchers on surface ships and helicopters, according to DRDO sources.

The warhead uses a 50 kilogram highly explosive (HE) filler and its effective range is 7 kilometers with a maximum depth of 540 meters.

The torpedoes were delivered as part of a $US37.9 million export deal signed in 2017, according to the Indian defence ministry news website.

Commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Army Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing visited Russia’s Admiralteyskie Veryf submarine shipyard in April to personally inspect submarine construction, as well as the assembly of six Su-30 SM multi-role advanced fighter jets for Myanmar under a contract with a net worth of about $205 million that the two singed in 2018.

A few weeks after Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Russia, a military spokesman told reporters that the commander-in-chief had discussed purchasing an advanced submarine for maritime security in territorial waters with the deputy chief of the Russian navy.

The Irrawaddy has since learned that Myanmar’s domestic frigates F-14 and 12, locally known as Kyan Sit Thar and Sin Phyu Shin, had sometimes showed up with unknown torpedoes during anti-submarine exercises in May.

The report on the Indian naval website says the torpedo supply is indicative of strong ties between the two countries, as India had previously supplied Myanmar with acoustic drones, naval sonar and other military equipment.

The two nations have also agreed to cooperate on counter insurgency operations along the India-Myanmar border.

The Indian government has been developing the precision-guided missiles and torpedoes since 1970.

The TAL Shyena was introduced under the Advanced Experimental Torpedo (TAE) programme in 1990 and developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory DRDO.