By the end of the year, the Tiger Shark heavyweight torpedo (HWT) that LIG Nex1 is developing for the ROK Navy will be fully operational, according to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
DAPA disclosed that the ROK Navy will receive the last Tiger Shark logistical support components by the end of December. The agency also said that it will use the Tiger Shark for longer in the near future, possibly negotiating a second deal with LIG Nex1 within a month.
Initial development of the Tiger Shark was concluded in 2019, and the Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee has authorized low-rate production to begin in 2020. This year, the program has made significant progress, with mass production of the system commencing in May after successful testing. In June, deliveries began to the ROK Navy.
Tiger Shark’s deployment coincides with that of the ROK Navy’s first KSS-III submarine, the ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho, which began operations in August.
