Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) had showcased its advanced maritime solutions, including the BlueWhale autonomous submarine, at UDT 2024 in London from April 9-11. The BlueWhale, an Israeli-developed uncrewed submarine, conducts covert intelligence-gathering operations, detecting submarines and gathering acoustic intelligence using radar and electro-optical systems. The BlueWhale, 10.9m in length and 1.12m in diameter, weighs 5.5 tons and is capable of operating up to 300m depths. It features an AESA radar, Electro-Optical/Infra-Red cameras, sonars, magnetic sensors and SATCOM communications to facilitate the multiple missions it has been designed to carry out.
BlueWhale (an extra large uncrewed underwater vehicle or XLUUV) appears to be a commercialized version of the Caesaron autonomous underwater vehicle, which was developed for the Israeli Navy and revealed by the Defense Ministry in 2017. It is an autonomous submarine that can conduct some of the missions of manned submarines, without the need for operators at sea. The unmanned submarine systemcould best be described as a “submarine force multiplier”. BlueWhale is the first of its kind in the world to be developed and can be a game changer in the future battlefield.
It can operate for several weeks at a time and has minimal operating costs.With the BlueWhale “autonomous submarine system”, IAI’s subsidiary Elta Systems, offers navies new operational possibilities for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Mine CounterMeasure (MCM) and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. BlueWhale can also leverage the EO/IR sensors and the geolocation capabilities to detect and give the precise location of all potential threats and targets onshore. The unmanned submarine system can send all the information needed via SATCOM to prepare the mission.
IAI will also introduce a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) installed on a high-endurance drone for anti-submarine warfare (ASW). Additionally, they will exhibit the Integrated Communication & Surveillance System (ICS) for submarines, transforming them into effective taskforce members with enhanced ISR and communication capabilities. IAI designs, develops, produces and maintains civil aircraft, drones, fighter aircraft, missile, avionics, and space-based systems. Many of these products are centered on the core needs of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Other offerings are marketed to numerous foreign militaries. IAI is state-owned by the government of Israel.
