Yu-3 Anti-Submarine Torpedo

	Information

Last updated: 26 October 2007

The Yu-3 is an acoustic-homing, submarine-launched, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) torpedo designed by Xi’an Precision Machinery Institute (705 Institute, a subordinate of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation). Initially developed for China's nuclear submarine programme, it is China’s first indigenous anti-submarine torpedo and entered service with the PLA navy in the mid-1980s. An improved variant known as Yu-3II (also known as Zhonhuaxun-II or ET-32 in its export names) was introduced in the 1990s.

Following the successful development of the Yu-1 unguided submarine-launch torpedo in the 1960s, 705 Institute began to develop a new guided torpedo for the Chinese navy’s proposed nuclear attack submarine (SSN). Instead of developing the relatively simple anti-ship torpedo, which only requires the guidance system to work in two-dimensional mode, 705 Institute chose the more technologically challenging anti-submarine torpedo, where the guidance system is required to work in a more complex three-dimensional mode. Initial feasibility study began in 1964 and the development programme was officially approved in March 1966 under the designation Yu-3.

Like many other weapon development programme, the Yu-3 project was seriously affected by the ‘Culture Revolution’ which began in 1966. The development resumed full speed in 1967 after a special order was issued by the Central Military Commission protecting the nuclear submarine and its related programmes from any political disturbance. Building of a deep-water torpedo test pool (codename 750 Test Range) in Kunming was completed in 1969. The first test of the torpedo was carried out in the autumn of 1969.

As the development of the torpedo was significantly behind the nuclear submarine programme (first boat launched in 1967), 705 Institute speeded up the development to introducing the prototype for initial batch production before the design was finalised. The first batch of the torpedo was assembled in 1971 and successfully tested in 1972. The torpedo received its design certificate in 1975.

Early basic variant Yu-3 used a mechanical scanning guidance system, which requires the torpedo to reduce its speed when approaching to the enemy submarine so that the guidance system could detect and lock on the target. This had resulted in the guidance system highly complex and unreliable. A new multi-pulse acoustic-homing guidance system was under development since 1967 to solve the problem. The improved Yu-3 Batch 0 was successfully tested in December 1977. However, the torpedo did not receive its batch production certificate until 1984, nearly 20 years after the programme began.

705 Institute and 750 Test Range began to develop an improved Yu-3II in May 1985. Known as Zhonhuaxun-II or ET-32 in its export names, the torpedo received no order from either domestic or international market.

The Yu-3 is an anti-submarine torpedo designed to be launched from both nuclear-powered and conventional submarines. It is acoustic-homing and electric-propelled, able to engage high-speed, deep-diving nuclear submarines.