VESSEL REVIEW | BlueWhale – Low-observable surveillance and minehunting AUV for German Navy

The German Navy has taken delivery of a new large autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) from the partnership formed by German defence shipbuilder TKMS and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

TKMS said BlueWhale is a mature, first of its kind fully autonomous large AUV that combines reconnaissance, sensor technology, and data fusion in a single system.

BlueWhale was developed by IAI's ELTA Division to support the German Navy in unmanned ASW and covert maritime missions in littoral and offshore waters. The vehicle is capable of conducting reconnaissance operations, detecting targets above and below the sea surface, collecting acoustic information, and locating mines on the seabed, all without being detected.