Type 53 torpedo

Type 53 is common name for a 53cm torpedo manufactured in Russia. However, such a torpedo, per se, does not really exist with the name. Instead, there is a large family of 53cm Russian/Soviet torpedoes, starting with the 53-27 torpedo and continuing to the modern UGST.

With the exception of the UGST which uses Mark 48 style monopropellants, Soviet 53cm torpedoes generally use electric or kerosene mixed with various oxidizers for propulsion. Russian torpedoes are often named descriptively for their characteristics - examples include "acoustic homing" or "electric torpedo", all in Russian acronyms.

The first Soviet torpedo with homing capability was the SAET-50. The 53-61 was the first Soviet homing torpedo to exceed 40 knots.

The Chinese have either copied or reverse engineered several Soviet 53cm torpedoes, though sources dispute exactly what was copied. For example, the Yu-1 is a non-homing weapon copied from either the 53-38 or the 53-51. The Yu-3 is considered a copy of the SET-65.

External link

*Site with information about Russian torpedoes