Germany to buy anti-torpedo torpedo in 2026, leaked document shows

BERLIN — The German military intends to start the procurement process for a novel “Anti Torpedo Torpedo” in 2026, according to a budget planning document published by Politico Europe on Tuesday.

Defense officials plan to allocate €70 million ($83 million) for the system, marketed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems as a kinetic interceptor to protect naval vessels against incoming torpedoes, according to the document.

Officials envision consideration of the procurement by the parliamentary budget committee during the panel’s May 6, 2026, session, with a written proposal due to lawmakers two weeks prior.

In an email to Defense News, a spokesman for the German defense ministry said he could not comment on the document or the program planning specifically.

Atlas Elektronik, a subsidiary of TKMS, has for years advertised its SeaSpider anti-torpedo torpedo as the world’s first market-ready kinetic interceptor, arguing it’s the only way to reliably eliminate torpedoes with increasingly sophisticated seekers.

Traditional torpedo defense has relied on tricking torpedo sensors into missing their target.

Development of the SeaSpider technology began as a joint project between Atlas and the Dutch TNO research organization almost 20 years ago. The work continues now with funding from the European Union’s PESCO – Permanent Structured Cooperation – framework, a mechanism meant to deepen cross-border defense ties in Europe.

The light torpedo is designed to independently lock onto and kill incoming torpedoes of any kind, serving as a short-distance, hard-kill interceptor. It has onboard sensors and homing abilities, and is uniquely driven by solid-fuel rocket propellant.

No country has officially placed an order for the SeaSpider yet, although earlier this year, the Netherlands announced its intention to buy the weapon. The German and Dutch navies, whose commands are integrated, were deeply involved in the development and testing of the system.

The Dutch navy’s anti-submarine warfare frigate will reportedly be the first to receive the new weapon in the Netherlands. On the German side, company officials have said their intended first user will be the new F127 frigate, whose planned progress through the German defense procurement motions roughly lines up.

The F127 is a new ship class for the German navy, serving as an air defense-oriented frigate. According to the spreadsheet, a procurement decision is envisioned for one month later, in June 2026, and will be worth €26 billion ($30.7 billion).

Linus Höller is Defense News' Europe correspondent and OSINT investigator. He reports on the arms deals, sanctions, and geopolitics shaping Europe and the world. He holds master’s degrees in WMD nonproliferation, terrorism studies, and international relations, and works in four languages: English, German, Russian, and Spanish.

柏林——据 Politico Europe 周二发布的一份预算规划文件显示，德国军方计划于 2026 年开始采购一种新型“反鱼雷鱼雷”。

根据该文件，国防官员计划拨款 7000 万欧元（8300 万美元）用于该系统，该系统由蒂森克虏伯海洋系统公司推向市场，是一种动能拦截器，用于保护海军舰艇免受来袭鱼雷的攻击。

官员们设想议会预算委员会将在 2026 年 5 月 6 日的会议上审议采购事宜，书面提案应提前两周提交给议员。

德国国防部发言人在一封发给《防务新闻》的电子邮件中表示，他无法对该文件或具体的项目规划发表评论。

TKMS 的子公司 Atlas Elektronik 多年来一直宣传其 SeaSpider 反鱼雷鱼雷是世界上第一款可上市的动能拦截器，并声称这是唯一能够可靠地摧毁配备日益精密的寻的器的鱼雷的方法。

传统的鱼雷防御依靠欺骗鱼雷传感器使其错过目标。

SeaSpider技术的研发始于近20年前，是Atlas与荷兰TNO研究机构的合作项目。如今，该项目在欧盟永久结构性合作（PESCO）框架的资助下继续进行。PESCO是旨在深化欧洲跨境防务联系的机制。

这种轻型鱼雷设计用于独立锁定并摧毁任何类型的来袭鱼雷，可用作短程硬杀伤拦截器。它配备有机载传感器和制导装置，并采用独特的固体燃料火箭推进剂驱动。

虽然荷兰今年早些时候宣布有意购买“海蜘蛛”导弹系统，但目前尚无任何国家正式下单订购。德国和荷兰海军（两国海军指挥系统已整合）深度参与了该系统的研发和测试。

据报道，荷兰海军的反潜护卫舰将成为荷兰首艘接收这种新型武器的舰艇。德国方面，该公司官员表示，他们计划的首批用户将是新型F127护卫舰，该舰在德国国防采购流程中的进度大致吻合。

F127是德国海军的新型舰艇，定位为防空护卫舰。根据电子表格显示，预计将于一个月后的2026年6月做出采购决定，合同金额为260亿欧元（约合307亿美元）。

林努斯·霍勒是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者和开源情报调查员。他报道影响欧洲乃至全球的军火交易、制裁和地缘政治。他拥有大规模杀伤性武器不扩散、恐怖主义研究和国际关系三个硕士学位，并精通英语、德语、俄语和西班牙语四种语言。