After being launched at the UDT (Undersea Defense Technology) 2023 event which was held in Rotterdam, Netherlands (9-11 May 2023), the BlueWhale Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) made by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) has attracted world attention, because Israel was able to create this type of unmanned submarines for intelligence gathering and anti-submarine missions for long-term operations.
And there is a surprise, BlueWhale is reported to have been included in the NATO military exercise REPMUS 2023 (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Marine Unmanned Systems) in Portugal (11-15 September 2023). BlueWhale, also called ELI-3325, was built with the support of the German company Atlas Elektronik.
During the exercise, BlueWhale successfully performed several operations. BlueWhale's duties actually include submarine detection, acoustic reconnaissance, and identification of sea and coastal targets.
BlueWhale is 10.9 meters long and 1.12 meters in diameter and weighs 5.5 tonnes. BlueWhale is capable of operating to a depth of 300 meters. BlueWhale features include Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar technology, Satcom communications, electro-optical/infrared cameras, sonar, magnetic sensors and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT).
The BlueWhale is powered by a lithium ion battery housed in a pressurized hull. This battery gives the BlueWhale full autonomy for 10 to 30 days. Systems like array cranes can actually be very demanding on battery power. Currently, battery charging still has to be done on board the aircraft carrier or on land.
For ASW – Anti Submarine missions, BlueWhale works in bi-static mode. A surface platform acts as a temporary pinger for the autonomous submarine system, which carries Atlas Electronik's advanced Towed Array Sonar (TAS) which functions as a passive receiver.
To support its mission, BlueWhale is equipped with a telescopic mast, like a manned submarine periscope, several meters high, which is equipped with a radar device and electro-optical system to detect sea and coastal targets.
By using a satellite communications antenna on a telescopic mast, the data collected can be transferred in real-time to a command post, anywhere in the world, at sea or on land via satellite communications access. Meanwhile submarine detection and acoustic intelligence-gathering data is enabled using towed sonar, several tens of meters long, and towed by BlueWhale.