COLOGNE, Germany, Dec 16 (Sebastian Sprenger/Defense News) — The German Navy recently tested the BlueWhale underwater drone, envisioning it as part of a future fleet of unmanned vessels designed to combat enemy submarines.
The two-week experiment took place last month in the Baltic Sea, an area often scrutinized due to global tensions. NATO, Russian, and Chinese vessels frequently navigate these waters, which also house crucial communications cables and energy pipelines on the seabed.
The German Navy sees the BlueWhale, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, as pivotal in anti-submarine warfare. Equipped with various cameras and both active and passive sensors, the drone can detect submarines, surface vessels, and sea mines without emitting signals that would alert the targets.
The BlueWhale falls into the category of large unmanned underwater vehicles, weighing 5.5 tons, with a length of almost 11 meters and a diameter of over 1 meter. German naval-systems specialist Atlas Elektronik participated in the test, which is seen as a stepping stone towards the “Marine 2035+” strategy, aimed at accelerating the development of unmanned technology and integrating new drones into the Navy’s command-and-control schemes.
Dror Bar, vice president of IAI and CEO of subsidiary ELTA Systems, mentioned that interfaces developed in collaboration with Atlas last year, during two NATO exercises hosted by Portugal, were utilized during the drill.
Interest in underwater and surface drones has surged among NATO nations, viewing them as crucial for repelling enemy warships and monitoring the health of critical infrastructure on the sea floor.
