The above image is for illustrative purposes only.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has handed over its “BlueWhale” autonomous submarine to the German Navy, the company said on Feb. 25. The platform marks the first unmanned submarine designed by an Israeli defense firm. It was developed through a partnership with Atlas Elektronik, a subsidiary of Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), which builds submarines for Israel’s navy.
The delivery ceremony took place at the German naval base in Eckernförde following a series of trials conducted by the German Navy in the Baltic Sea. Neither IAI nor its partners disclosed how many units Germany may ultimately acquire or provided details about the contract’s value.
In late November 2024, IAI announced that the German Navy had wrapped up operational testing of the unmanned system under the “Navy 2035+” initiative, a program aimed at accelerating the evaluation and integration of emerging technologies in realistic operating environments.
The BlueWhale can operate underwater at speeds of up to 7 knots and is designed to remain at sea for two to three weeks, depending on mission requirements. It carries both surface and subsurface sensors and can be transported by land, air, or sea inside a standard 40-foot shipping container.
According to the joint IAI-TKMS statement, the submarine is intended for missions such as unmanned anti-submarine warfare and discreet maritime operations. It can perform surveillance tasks, identify targets above and below the waterline, gather acoustic intelligence, and detect naval mines on the seabed. The system is designed to function as a remote sensing extension for crewed naval platforms.
In Israel, the BlueWhale agreement is viewed as another milestone in strengthening defense ties with Germany, particularly following Berlin’s procurement of the Arrow 3 air defense system—also produced by IAI—which represents Israel’s largest-ever defense export deal.
Within the naval domain, Israel has long partnered with TKMS, which provides Dolphin AIP submarines and Sa’ar 6 corvettes. Delivery of three new Decker-class submarines, ordered in 2022, is expected to begin in approximately four years.
