OVERVIEW: The Varunastra is an Indian heavyweight, ship‑launched, electric anti‑submarine torpedo introduced in 2016. It is designed to engage stealth submarines in shallow and deep water using wire-guided active/passive acoustic homing and GPS/NavIC-aided navigation.

DETAILS: The Varunastra (“weapon of Varuna,” god of the ocean) was developed by DRDO’s Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL) and produced by Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL). It is 7.78 m long, 533.4 mm in diameter, and weighs approximately 1 500 kg. Powered by silver‑oxide zinc electric batteries (~250 kW), it reaches speeds of 40 kn (and slower 27 kn setting), with a range of 40–50 km and maximum operating depth of 600 m . Guidance uses wire mid-course updates, active/passive acoustic homing, conformal-array transducers with wide look angles, low‑drift inertial navigation, and GPS/NavIC location aid—claimed as the world’s first torpedo using satellite locator. It carries a 250 kg insensitive high‑explosive warhead.

TYPE: Heavyweight anti‑submarine torpedo

FUNCTION: Launched from ships, it uses wire-guided updates and acoustic homing to autonomously detect and engage enemy subs. GPS/NavIC support enhances its targeting and recovery capabilities during trials.

NOTE:
IOC: 29 June 2016 (ship-launched) 
Manufacturer: DRDO‑NSTL (designer), Bharat Dynamics Ltd (India)
Operators: Indian Navy 

SOURCE: Official Bharat Dynamics Limited: https/www.bdl-india.in/varunastra ; DRDO‑NSTL; Jane’s Underwater Warfare Systems; Naval News; Financial Express