OVERVIEW: The K731 White Shark is a heavyweight, wire-guided torpedo developed by South Korea for submarine-launched anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. It is a deep-diving, acoustic homing weapon optimized for operations in the littoral and open-ocean environments.

DETAILS: "K" in K731 designates it as a domestically developed weapon system, while "731" is its specific program number within the South Korean Navy. The White Shark was developed in the 1990s by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and LIG Nex1 to equip the Jang Bogo-class submarines with an indigenous heavyweight torpedo capability. It is powered by an electric motor using a silver oxide battery, enabling low acoustic signature and long endurance. The torpedo uses active/passive acoustic homing in terminal phase, with mid-course guidance via fiber-optic wire.

TYPE: Heavyweight Torpedo

FUNCTION: After launch from a submerged platform, the White Shark operates under wire-guidance from the submarine until terminal homing is activated using its onboard active/passive sonar. It is designed to destroy enemy submarines or surface vessels through a high-explosive shaped charge warhead.

NOTE:
IOC: 2002 (White Shark)
Manufacturer: LIG Nex1, South Korea
Operators: South Korea
Platforms: Jang Bogo-class submarine
Conflict used in: none

SOURCE:
South Korean Ministry of National Defense: https://www.mnd.go.kr/mbshome/mbs/mnd2/index.jsp ; ADD (Agency for Defense Development): https://www.add.re.kr ; LIG Nex1 Official Brochure (Archived): https://www.lignex1.com ; GlobalSecurity.org: https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/rok/k731.htm ; Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K731_White_Shark