OVERVIEW: The 65-76 "Kit" is a Soviet submarine-launched, wake-homing heavyweight torpedo introduced in 1977. It was developed to target large surface warships such as aircraft carriers using long-range passive wake-homing guidance.

DETAILS: The designation “65-76” indicates a 650 mm diameter torpedo, with “76” referring to its year of standardization, and “Kit” (Russian for “whale”) being its internal project name. It featured a kerosene-oxidizer thermal propulsion system, enabling significantly greater range and speed than 533 mm torpedoes. The 65-76 carried a large high-explosive warhead and used a passive wake-homing seeker to track the wake left by a surface ship during terminal approach. It was designed to exploit the wider diameter torpedo tubes on certain Soviet nuclear submarines and prioritized large surface combatants as primary targets.

TYPE: Heavyweight wake-homing torpedo

FUNCTION: After launch, the 65-76 runs straight toward the predicted location of a surface ship and then activates its wake-homing sensor to detect and follow the ship’s turbulent wake. It detonates on impact near the stern, inflicting critical structural and propulsion damage.

NOTE:
IOC: 1977
Operators: Soviet Union
Platforms: Project 671RTM (Victor III-class), Project 949 (Oscar I-class), Project 949A (Oscar II-class), Project 945 (Sierra-class)
Conflict used in: No confirmed combat use

SOURCE:
Jane’s Underwater Warfare Systems ; Federation of American Scientists (FAS): https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/weaps/index.html ; Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems ; Russian Navy Weapons Manuals ; SIPRI Arms Transfers Database: https://armstrade.sipri.org