Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and TKMS announced the delivery of the BlueWhale large autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to the German Navy on Wednesday. The delivery took place at the Eckernförde naval base, marking a significant milestone for autonomous underwater systems and is a key component in TKMS's efforts to expand the maritime ecosystem of the future. Guests at the ceremony included Jens Plötner, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defense, and Jan Christian Kaack, Vice Admiral of the German Navy.
BlueWhale is a mature, first-of-its-kind fully autonomous large underwater vehicle that combines reconnaissance, sensor technology, and data fusion in a single system. It was developed by IAI. TKMS and its ATLAS ELEKTRONIK segment integrated the advanced anti-submarine warfare towed sonar. BlueWhale is thus a significant joint project between TKMS and IAI.
Michael Ozegowski, Executive Vice President of TKMS ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, stated: “TKMS is consistently expanding its capabilities in the autonomous sector. We are proud to support the navy as part of its ‘Kurs Marine 2035+’ future plan and to actively respond to current security threats with our solutions. The rapid introduction of new technologies is a common goal of industry and the navy and significantly strengthens Germany's defense capabilities."
Boaz Levy, President and CEO of IAI, added: "IAI's autonomous systems in the air, at sea, on land and in space are in operational use that provides significant technological advantage, while improving the ability to protect the lives of combatants in the field. The delivery of the BlueWhale to the German Navy demonstrates the close cooperation we have with TKMS ATLAS ELEKTRONIK and the degree of mutual trust between Israel and Germany."
BlueWhale was developed to support the German Navy in unmanned anti-submarine warfare 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 follows intensive testing in the Baltic Sea, one of the most demanding and complex areas of operation for the German Navy.
BlueWhale acts as an extended sensor arm for manned platforms, operating autonomously over long periods of time and covering large areas of sea. The prospective integration of BlueWhale into the overall network underscores TKMS's integrated systems approach. As Europe's only fully integrated maritime systems provider, TKMS combines proven platforms, autonomous systems, and uniform software and data architecture.
The delivery of the BlueWhale marks the future-oriented cooperation between TKMS, IAI, and the German Navy and sets another milestone for innovative projects in the field of unmanned underwater systems.