Iran Test Fires High-Speed Torpedo

Fox News was showing video earlier today of the "new" Iranian Hut high-speed torpedo, which travels in excess of 220 miles per hour underwater, and is said to be undetectable by sonar. It seems likely that it could, however, be heard by passive means from some distance underwater.

From Bloomberg:

April 3 (Bloomberg) -- Iran's navy said it successfully test-fired its fastest torpedo capable of reaching a maximum speed of 360 kilometers (223 miles) an hour, the official Islamic Republic News Agency said.

Coincidentally, in the 90s the Russians deployed a high-speed torpedo, developed years earlier by the Soviet Union, called the Shkval (Squall) that is capable of speeds up to 230 miles per hour. It achieves this velocity by deliberately cavitating the water around the torpedo to reduce friction.

Neither the Hut, nor the Shval offers protection against incoming B-1 bombers, something that Iran might want to take into consideration.

Also posted at The Jawa Report and Vince Aut Morire.