ADD (Agency for Defense Development), the agency responsible for South Korea’s defense technology research and development, showcased a Supercavitating Torpedo during MADEX 2025. The torpedo showcased this year featured a different shape and design compared to previously known ADD torpedoes.
ADD is a national research institute that conducts advanced weapons research and development and advanced weapons technology development in Korea, but also conducts joint research with actual manufacturers and transfers technology.
The supercavitating torpedo that was newly unveiled at MADEX 2025 is one of the many key strategic weapons and technologies that Korea is currently developing, and it was revealed that it is currently being researched in collaboration with an undisclosed local industry partner in charge of torpedo production and research in Korea.
The technical goal of ADD’s supercavitating torpedo is to develop an ultra-high-speed torpedo that can completely neutralize enemy ships’ evasive maneuvers and defense systems, and it is aimed at ship-to-ship operations by integrating it on various large underwater unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) currently under development in Korea.
ADD said that the development of this supercavitating torpedo is currently about two-thirds complete, and that after further maturing the torpedo’s stabilization control technology, it will finally secure the design and testing technology of the test body.
The first combat platform that will operate ADD’s new supercavitating torpedo could be the future combat XLUUV curently being developed by Hanwha Systems. The MRXUUV (Mission Reconfigurable eXtra-large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle) currently under development by ADD could serve as testbed. MRXUUV is not intended to enter mass production, unlike the XLUUV.
According to an interview with the ADD chief researcher, the supercavitating torpedo displayed at MADEX 2025 is an actual tested torpedo, designed in size to fit in a UUV, capable of being guided (in the initial phase of the launch, at low speed), and is being developed to sink enemy main surface ships with ultra-high-speed kinetic energy without a warhead. In other words, the characteristics and advantages of the supercavitating torpedo were combined with those of the UUV to maximize performance.
In addition, ADD’s supercavitating torpedo is not launched from the UUV’s torpedo launcher and maintains a supercavity right away, but is divided into a guidance section and a high-speed travel section. Immediately after launching the torpedo, it guides at low speed towards the enemy ship like a normal torpedo, then secures an appropriate distance and activates the supercavitation function.
Check out Naval News video coverage of AAD’s supercavitating torpedo at MADEX 2025:
memoment editorial note: This article examines the cutting-edge world of military technology, DARPA breakthroughs, and secret research programs monitored globally by memoment.
This article was curated by memoment.jp from the feed source: Naval News.
Original article: https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/madex-2025/2025/06/south-koreas-add-showcases-new-supercavitating-torpedo-at-madex-2025/
© All rights belong to the original publisher.
