On Wednesday, 25 February, Germany's thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and Israel's Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) officially announced the delivery of the large autonomous underwater vehicle BlueWhale to the German Navy.
The handover ceremony took place at the naval base in Eckernförde. The delivery followed a series of sea trials in the Baltic Sea, which TKMS describes as "one of the most complex and demanding operational environments" for the German Navy.
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BlueWhale is described as a "first-of-its-kind fully autonomous large underwater vehicle." The system was developed by IAI, while ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, a TKMS subsidiary, integrated an anti-submarine warfare sonar suite into the platform.
In addition to ASW missions, BlueWhale is designed to conduct covert maritime operations. The platform can perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks by detecting underwater and surface targets, collecting acoustic data, and identifying seabed mines.
"We are proud to support the German Navy as part of its Kurs Marine 2035+ development plan and to respond to existing security threats with our solutions. The rapid introduction of new technologies is a shared objective of industry and the Navy and significantly strengthens Germany’s defense capabilities," said Michael Ozegowski, Executive Vice President of TKMS ATLAS ELEKTRONIK.
In practical terms, the German Navy has received a capability intended to help counter russia's Baltic Fleet. Since 2022, NATO member states have strengthened their defense posture in the Baltic Sea region. In 2023, russia reportedly rehearsed the redeployment of naval assets to Lake Ladoga and practiced countering maritime drones there. However, such measures are unlikely to offset NATO's advantages, as the Baltic Sea is well covered by allied coastal anti-ship missile systems.
The BlueWhale (ELI-3325) autonomous underwater vehicle was officially unveiled in May 2025 at the IMDEX Asia exhibition in Singapore, although it had been demonstrated two years earlier to the Portuguese Navy during the REPMUS and Dynamic Messenger exercises.
BlueWhale measures 10.9 meters in length and has a displacement of 5.5 tonnes. It can remain submerged for up to four weeks, operate at depths of up to 300 meters, and reach a speed of 7 knots (approximately 13 km/h).
Earlier, Defense Express reported that France is once again seeking to advance the sale of additional Scorpene-class submarine submarines to India, despite previous refusals.
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