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.
The craft was developed by IAI whileTKMS and its Atlas Elektronik division integrated an advanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) towed sonar.
BlueWhale was developed to support the German Navy in unmanned ASW and covert maritime missions. The vehicle is capable of conducting reconnaissance operations, detecting targets above and below the sea surface, collecting acoustic information, and locating sea mines on the seabed.
The delivery of BlueWhale followed intensive testing in the Baltic Sea.
The AUV will act as an extended sensor arm for manned platforms, operating autonomously over long periods of time and covering large areas of sea.
The BlueWhale AUV is also in use with the Hellenic Navy.
