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.

Compact hull with multiple sensor options

The craft has a length of 10.9 metres (35.8 feet), a hull diameter of only 1.12 metres (3.67 feet), and a displacement of 5.5 tons. It can operate at depths of 300 metres (1,000 feet) and can achieve a maximum speed of seven knots while submerged.

A variety of surface and subsurface sensors such as radar, satellite communications kit and electro-optical/infrared cameras can also be deployed within a retractable mast. The AUV’s other electronics include a Kraken synthetic aperture unit for seabed mapping and mine detection and an Atlas Elektronik towed array sonar for passive detection of ships and submarines.

The AUV boasts an intelligent on-board controller for managing sensors, communications, missions, and power resources. The craft is therefore able to seamlessly integrate with command and control via a secured satellite channel.

Battery power delivering extended endurance

An advanced onboard mission computer will be aided by AI in converting raw sensor data into intelligence, which operational commanders can immediately use for planning prior to undertaking time-sensitive missions.

A high-efficiency battery bank can meanwhile sustain continuous operation for up to three weeks depending on the craft’s mission profile. This then allows the craft to perform some of the missions traditionally relegated to manned submarines but at a fraction of the cost and without placing crews at risk.

The AUV can be easily transported in a 40-foot container, allowing for greater flexibility in global deployment. The craft’s own mast incorporates a separate container for safeguarding vital sensors and equipment even while submerged.

First in a new AUV class

The German Navy will take delivery of at least 12 more examples of the AUV by 2035 in line with a modernisation program that covers unmanned systems.

The German Navy’s first BlueWhale was delivered following extensive testing of the AUV and its sensors in the Baltic Sea.