The increase in underwater threats has led to the German Navy testing an advanced underwater system developed by Israel.
The Bundeswehr Navy recently conducted a two-week intensive est-phase trial with the BlueWhale autonomous underwater vehicle, as part of its Operational Experimentation (OPEX). The autonomous underwater vehicle was tested according to the specifications of both the Navy and the Bundeswehr Technical Center for Ships and Naval Weapons (WTD 71) in one of the most challenging and complex areas of operation of the German Navy – the Baltic Sea. Also involved in the trial were Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), maker of the BlueWhale, and Germany’s ATLAS Elektronik,
NATO’s Centre of Excellence for Operations enabled the experimental connection of the Blue Whale into the Navy’s situational picture. The Navy’s OPEX is an initiative to pave the way toward its ‘Marine 2035 and Beyond’ plan. OPEX signals the service’s determination to actively address both present 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 a weight of 5.5 tons. It performs covert intelligence-gathering above the sea surface, can detect submarines, underwater targets and gather acoustic intelligence, and search for and detect naval mines on the seabed. The autonomous submarine can perform a significant portion of the operations of a crewed submarine, for periods of several weeks, at minimal cost and maintenance, and without risking operators.
“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,” said Boaz Levy, IAI president.
Levy added that the current joint trials are a direct continuation of the deep security relationship that exists between Israel with Germany, which was reflected in the recent “Arrow” missile air-defense-system deal, and through other activities that promote the security of the two countries.
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