This heavyweight submarine ASW/anti-surface torpedo was developed during the 1970s as a successor to the Mk8 of WWII vintage. It entered service in 1978.
Tigerfish was plagued by problems early in it’s career, with many British captains regarding it as completely unreliable. During the 1982 Falklands War, the captain of HMS Conqueror selected to use Mk8’s against General Belgrano. After the war, the RN conducted a series of tests that showed the weapon malfunctioned 60% of the time. In a test designed to recreate the attack on Belgrano, two of five Tigerfish failed to clear the tubes and the other three all missed. A crash programme in 1985 greatly improved reliability and it was finally accepted as a frontline weapon.
In 1990 a license was granted to the Chilean company Cardeon for Tigerfish. The Royal Navy retired the weapon in 2004; it remains in service with Brazil, Chile, Turkey, and Venezuela.
| Speed: | 12 or 35kts |
| Range: | 22NM low speed, 7NM high speed |
| Dimensions: | 21” diameter, length 21’, weight 3414lbs |
| Warhead: | 750lb HE |
| Guidance: | Active/passive sonar with optional wire guidance |
| Propulsion: | Electric, Silver-Zinc chloride batteries |
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