The Bundeswehr Navy has successfully completed a two-week intensive trial phase with the BlueWhale autonomous underwater vehicle, marking a significant milestone in its Operational Experimentation (OPEX) program. The trial, conducted in the challenging waters of the Baltic Sea, was a collaborative effort between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), ATLAS Elektronik of Germany, and the German Navy’s Technical Center for Ships and Naval Weapons (WTD 71).
NATO’s Centre of Excellence for Operations enabled the experimental connection of the Blue Whale into the Navy’s situational picture. The Navy launched OPEX, a groundbreaking initiative to pave the way toward its ‘Marine 2035 and Beyond’ plan. In so doing, it has signaled its determination to actively address both current and future security-relevant threat situations. OPEX is the German Navy’s ‘toolbox’ for promoting innovation and for testing new approaches and technologies quickly and comprehensively under conditions that are as realistic as possible.
BlueWhale is a large uncrewed underwater vehicle 10.9 meters long, with a diameter of 1.12 meters and weighing 5.5 tons. It performs covert intelligence-gathering above the sea surface, can detect submarines and underwater targets, gather acoustic intelligence, and search for and detect naval mines on the seabed. The autonomous submarine can perform a significant portion of a crewed submarine’s operations for several weeks at minimal cost and maintenance and without risking operators.
IAI’s President and CEO, Boaz Levy: “We are facing a new era in which submarines will change the situational picture and operational capabilities like the changes brought about by unmanned aircraft in the past. An autonomous submarine can perform a significant portion of the tasks of a manned submarine, without the need for operators on board, for up to several weeks. In addition to its intelligence-gathering capabilities, the BlueWhale system excels in detecting other submarines and covertly mapping mines on the seabed, using its advanced sonar systems, and is an important part of IAI’s range of maritime solutions, which include the protection of Economic Exclusion Zones, defensive and offensive system suites for marine vessels, and the management of the arena in which autonomous vessels are operating. The current joint trials are a direct continuation of the deep security relationship with Germany, reflected in the recent “Arrow” missile air-defense-system deal, and through other activities that promote the security of both Israel and Germany.”
