Top 10 Torpedoes in Service in 2026

The top 10 torpedoes in service in 2026 are led by the US Mk 48 ADCAP, a 533 mm heavyweight with a warhead of roughly 290 kilograms that has armed American submarines since the 1970s. Most of the list is heavyweights for submarines, but two lightweight weapons for ships and aircraft earn places because they set the standard in their class.

10

Torpedoes ranked, 8 heavyweights and 2 lightweights

533 mm

Standard heavyweight diameter for most submarine torpedoes

~290 kg

Approximate Mk 48 warhead weight, reported

324 mm

Standard lightweight diameter for ship and aircraft launched torpedoes

How this ranking works

The ranking weighs five factors: guidance and countermeasure resistance, range and speed where published, warhead lethality, operational maturity and operator base, and the weapon’s evidence from trials and combat. Performance data for torpedoes is among the most secret in any arsenal, so figures here are approximate and Russian and Chinese numbers are treated as manufacturer claims, not verified facts. Lightweights and heavyweights are ranked together, with heavyweights favored slightly because they threaten larger targets. Consistent with this site’s editorial policy, companies and platforms headquartered in Israel are excluded from consideration.

Top 10 torpedoes in service ranking table

Top 10 torpedoes in service, 2026

Rank	Torpedo	Country	Type
1	Mk 48 ADCAP Mod 7	United States	533 mm heavyweight
2	Spearfish	United Kingdom	533 mm heavyweight
3	DM2A4 Seehecht	Germany	533 mm heavyweight
4	F21 Artemis	France	533 mm heavyweight
5	Black Shark Advanced	Italy	533 mm heavyweight
6	MU90 Impact	France, Italy, Germany	324 mm lightweight
7	Mk 54	United States	324 mm lightweight
8	Type 18	Japan	533 mm heavyweight
9	UGST Fizik	Russia	533 mm heavyweight, manufacturer claims
10	Yu-6	China	533 mm heavyweight, reported

Ranking is editorial and based on public information; performance figures are approximate.

The top ten, one to ten

1. Mk 48 ADCAP Mod 7 (United States)

Fired from every American attack submarine, the Mk 48 carries a heavy warhead and a wire-guided, then acoustically homing, seeker. Reported speeds exceed 50 knots and depths go past 800 meters. Its combination of size, upgrades and large numbers sets the benchmark, and it is also carried by Australia and other allies.

2. Spearfish (United Kingdom)

The Royal Navy’s heavyweight, built by BAE Systems, is reported to combine high speed, above 60 knots, with a large warhead and a wire-guided control link. A recent upgrade program refreshed its warhead and electronics for the Astute class.

3. DM2A4 Seehecht (Germany)

Made by Atlas Elektronik, part of the group in our TKMS profile, it uses fiber-optic guidance that lets operators steer it with high-fidelity sonar data. Reported range is tens of kilometers, and it is widely exported to European and Asian customers.

4. F21 Artemis (France)

Naval Group’s newest heavyweight is designed for the Barracuda class and for export submarines. It uses a multi-mode seeker and an electric propulsion system, with reported ranges beyond 50 kilometers at high speed, as summarized in our Naval Group profile.

5. Black Shark Advanced (Italy)

Built by Leonardo’s underwater systems unit, it is a fiber-optic-guided heavyweight with a reported range of tens of kilometers and modern countermeasure filters. It equips several European and Asian submarines.

6. MU90 Impact (France, Italy, Germany)

The most widely exported modern lightweight, with a pump-jet drive and a shaped-charge warhead aimed at deep-diving submarines. Its broad user list, including several NATO members and Asia-Pacific navies, raises its ranking.

7. Mk 54 (United States)

The American lightweight torpedo for ships, helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft combines a legacy warhead with upgraded electronics from earlier programs. It is widely fielded with the US Navy and allies.

8. Type 18 (Japan)

Japan’s newest heavyweight, developed by Japanese industry for Soryu and Taigei class submarines, is reported to use an improved seeker and high-speed propulsion. Details are sparse, so its ranking is conservative.

9. UGST Fizik (Russia)

Russia’s modern 533 mm heavyweight is described by Russian sources as a wire-guided weapon with active and passive homing and a range of around 50 kilometers. These are manufacturer claims, and its effectiveness has not been demonstrated in open conflict.

10. Yu-6 (China)

China’s heavyweight is reported by Chinese state media to resemble Western designs in guidance and propulsion. Independent data is thin, and performance is treated here as a claim.

Reported key figures

Torpedo	Diameter	Guidance	Reported range or speed
Mk 48 ADCAP	533 mm	Wire-guided, active and passive homing	Above 50 knots; range in the tens of kilometers
Spearfish	533 mm	Wire-guided, active and passive homing	Above 60 knots, reported
DM2A4	533 mm	Fiber-optic guided, active and passive homing	Tens of kilometers, reported
F21 Artemis	533 mm	Wire or fiber-optic, multi-mode seeker	Beyond 50 km, reported
MU90 Impact	324 mm	Active and passive homing	Around 50 knots, reported
UGST Fizik	533 mm	Wire-guided, homing	About 50 km, Russian manufacturer claims

Open-source estimates; official ranges and speeds are rarely published, and Russian figures are manufacturer claims.

How do modern torpedoes work

A torpedo is a small, fast underwater vehicle with a seeker, a propulsion system and a warhead. Wire or fiber-optic guidance lets the launching submarine steer it using the boat’s sonar, which is described in our sonar explainer, before the torpedo’s own seeker takes over. Modern designs ping with active sonar and listen passively, and they can filter out decoys and noise makers. Electric propulsion is quiet, while thermal engines deliver higher speed and range.

Torpedo combat record

Combat use is rare. In 1982, the British submarine HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano with older Mark 8 torpedoes. In 2010, the South Korean corvette Cheonan was sunk by a torpedo explosion, which a multinational investigation attributed to North Korea, a claim Pyongyang denies. Because actual engagements are so few, rankings like this one lean on trials, design and operator base.

Editor’s read

Torpedoes are the quiet bargain of naval warfare. A weapon costing a fraction of a missile can sink a warship, which is why submarine detection and decoys now matter as much as the torpedo itself. Expect guidance and countermeasure resistance to drive the next generation.