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NATO Video Shows Devastating Impact of a Heavyweight Torpedo

Torpedo hit
Courtesy NATO

Published Nov 17, 2025 6:56 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

NATO's Allied Joint Force Command has released a rare video of a submarine torpedoing a decommissioned vessel, filmed in high definition from on board the target ship. The enormous power of a heavyweight torpedo detonating under the keel is well known, but not often seen so close up. 

During exercise Aegir 25, several units of the Norwegian Navy, the Royal Navy and the Polish Navy joined forces off the coast of Andoy, Norway for live-fire drills. During the exercise, the Norwegian submarine KNM Uthaug fired a live torpedo at the decommissioned frigate KNM Trondheim, which had been laden with containers for the purpose of testing. The single shot lifted the frigate's hull out of the water and caused enough damage that the vessel sank. 

"The purpose of the shot was to verify and demonstrate the striking power that the weapon and the submarine represent. A submarine has long endurance, operates covertly, and has a unique ability to dictate the battle," NATO said in a statement.

KNM Uthaug is a Ula-class submarine, fitted with twin diesel generators and an electric motor final drive. The hull sections were built in Norway and transported to Germany for final assembly, and she was delivered in 1991. The six-vessel class has been in service for 35 years and has been continually upgraded; all six are operating on a life-extension, and the first replacement hulls (TKMS Type 212) will begin arriving in 2029.