SEA sells TLS to a new Latin American navy
The triple-trainable TLS. (Photo: SEA)
The longstanding modular torpedo launching system has been adopted by a new navy.
UK defensive systems maker SEA has sold its weapon-agnostic triple-trainable Torpedo Launcher System (TLS) into what the company called a “multi-million pound Latin American frigate programme.”
While SEA would not reveal which multi-million pound Latin American frigate programme has taken the TLS, the system has a long history of operation in a number of navies around the world, including the UK’s own Royal Navy, where it has been in service for more than 30 years.
The TLS operates as both a close range and a rapid-reaction system, and is capable of firing a variety of NATO-compatible standard lightweight torpedoes, including the US Mk44, Mk46 and Mk54 torpedoes, UK Sting Ray, Italian A244S, French MU90 and the Korean Blue Shark.
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The modular design of the TLS means it can also be fitted into containerised mission modules, and SEA has sold it into several South American fleets in recent years.
In 2021, an equally unnamed South American fleet adopted the TLS. Then in 2022, the Philippine Navy added the system to two new corvettes sourced from South Korea. The Philippine Navy had previously used the TLS on some of its frigates.
In 2018, SEA announced it had also sold the TLS into three (equally unidentified) navies in Southeast Asia.
On the most recent TLS sale, Neil Herbert, vice president, strategic accounts – Latin America at SEA, said:
“This contract award represents a major step in our ambition to share the best of the industry’s technology with navies across the globe. The TLS will provide our end user with control of its ammunition supply chain and help future-proof the new frigates ahead of new weapon developments.”
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