Overview
- The manufacturers handed the large uncrewed underwater vehicle to the German Navy at the Eckernförde base on Wednesday, making Germany the first operator of BlueWhale.
- Developed through a German–Israeli partnership between Israel Aerospace Industries and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, with Atlas Elektronik providing sonar, the system is built for rapid fielding.
- Designed for reconnaissance and anti-submarine detection, the vehicle carries no weapons and features a towed array sonar plus a retractable mast with radar and electro-optical sensors.
- Key specs cited by the makers include a length of about 10.9 meters, roughly 5.5 tons, a top speed near 13 km/h, multi-week endurance, several-hundred-meter diving depth, and transport in a standard 40-foot container.
- Following trials in the Baltic Sea, the Navy plans operations from Eckernförde with tasks that include tracking subs, mapping seabed mines, and safeguarding critical undersea infrastructure.