Northrop Grumman contracted by US Navy to deliver Advanced Lightweight Torpedo

Northrop Grumman has been contracted to manufacture and deliver to the US Navy a new advanced lightweight torpedo with a custom-designed warhead to increase its lethality, the company announced on 12 January 2026.

The contract, worth USD 233 million (EUR 201 million), covers the proof of manufacturing and qualification phases, as well as delivery of multiple torpedoes for qualification testing.

The MK54 MOD 2 Advanced Lightweight Torpedo is being developed under a co-operative agreement with the Australian Defence Force but led by the US Navy. The upgraded torpedo will enhance the existing inventory of MK54 MOD 0 and MOD 1 variants with Northrop Grumman’s advanced warhead and processing capabilities, resulting in increased performance and lethality. Capable of tracking, classifying, and attacking underwater targets, MK54 MOD 2 will operate in all ocean environments and be launchable from surface ships, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters.

“Northrop Grumman is leveraging over 80 years of innovative torpedo technology, combined with our capacity and speed in delivery, to accelerate the design qualification and manufacturing for the Advanced Lghtweight Torpedo,” Dave Fine, vice president for armament systems at Northrop Grumman, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “This new weapon will provide US and allied sailors with a next-generation response to counter the most advanced undersea threats.”

Northrop Grumman will perform the integration and initial proof of manufacturing at the company’s facility in Plymouth, Minnesota, and Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) in Rocket Center, West Virginia.

A CGI of a MK54 MOD 2 Advanced Lightweight Torpedo being dropped for a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. [Northrop Grumman]