German Navy receives underwater drone Blue Whale

The German Navy has received a new underwater drone. Developed in Israel, the Blue Whale is currently the largest unmanned underwater vehicle in the Navy. This marks the beginning of the establishment of a hybrid fleet, says the Inspector of the Navy.

The German Navy refers to the Blue Whale as a Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (Large UUV). It is almost 11 meters long, has a diameter of just over a meter, and weighs 5.5 tons. The electrically powered underwater vehicle moves at a speed of about 13 km/h and is intended for two- to four-week missions.

It was developed by the Israeli aerospace company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Atlas Elektronik, a subsidiary of the Kiel-based defense company ThyssenKrupp Marine System (TKMS), contributed part of the technical equipment, including a special sonar system.

Search for submarines and drones

Blue Whale is intended for reconnaissance missions: The UUV is designed to detect and track underwater targets, such as submarines or other underwater drones. For this purpose, it is equipped with a "Towed Array Sonar", among other things. This is a towed sonar that Blue Whale drags behind it, detecting and classifying underwater objects above and below so-called thermoclines. It is passive, meaning it does not emit sound pulses but only receives them.

In addition, Blue Whale can also track surface ships. For this, the unmanned submarine is equipped with an extendable periscope, similar to a conventional one, to which various cameras are attached.

According to Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, the procurement of the drone took only a few months, which is extremely fast in military terms. "With the acceptance of the first Blue Whale, we are consistently implementing the Navy's course regarding the introduction of unmanned systems underwater," said the Inspector of the Navy. "The establishment of a hybrid fleet starts right now."

This will consist of conventional, manned ships operating together with unmanned ones. The latter can, for example, be deployed closer to danger zones than manned vessels, thus protecting the lives of the crews.

Operation in the Baltic Sea

The German Navy tested the Large UUV at the end of 2024 off Eckernförde. It will also be stationed at the naval base there, and its area of operation will be the Baltic Sea.

Since the Russian attack on Ukraine four years ago, the Baltic Sea has become a crisis area. In recent years, submarine cables in the Baltic Sea have been destroyed on several occasions. The Russian shadow fleet was suspected each time.

The most spectacular incident was the blowing up of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in September 2022. Investigators now assume that the act was carried out by Ukrainians. Systems like Blue Whale can also be used to monitor such critical underwater infrastructure.

(wpl)