Turkish defense manufacturer Aselsan has completed factory acceptance tests of the Zargana Torpedo Countermeasure System for the Pakistan Navy’s Agosta 90B-class submarines.
The test paves the way for installation on the French-origin submarine as part of a mid-life modernization contract for three Agosta submarines Pakistan signed in 2016 with the Turkish firm STM.
According to Naval News, the upgraded PNS Hamza has been delivered. Citing OSINT reports, the outlet also reported that modernization of an unnamed second submarine is complete. This leaves a third, the PNS Saad, to be equipped with the Zargana.
Employs Jammers, Decoys
The Zargana has 24 launchers with single and salvo launching capability and an operator-controlled autonomous decision support system to determine the best evasive maneuver against a torpedo attack.
The system uses a ZOKA acoustic jammer that emits a high-powered noise covering “all operating frequency bands of both classical and modern acoustic homing torpedoes operating in passive, active, or combined homing modes,” preventing the torpedo from detecting the submarine.
It also uses acoustic decoys “to deceive an incoming torpedo by emulating dynamic and acoustic behaviors of the submarine.”
