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UNMANNED


ISRAELI FIRM REVEALS UNMANNED SUBMARINE BLUEWHALE

By Seth J. Frantzman
 Friday, May 5

Israeli firm IAI has developed an unmanned submarine, dubbed BlueWhale.
(Courtesy of Israel Aerospace Industries)

JERUSALEM — Israel Aerospace Industries has developed a new unmanned submarine,
the BlueWhale, designed for covert intelligence-gathering operations, the
company said May 4.

The underwater vehicle is almost 11 meters long and just over 1 meter in
diameter. Coming in at 5.5 tons (11,000 pounds), the platform can fit in a
40-foot shipping container for transport by land, sea or air. The size of the
vessel is similar to deep-submergence vehicles or so-called crewed midget
submarines.



It can travel at up to 7 knots underwater, and using electrical power, the
submarine can operate for two to four weeks, depending on the mission, the
company said.

Its range, at an average speed of 7 knots for 10 days, would be more than 1,600
nautical miles (1,841 miles).

The platform can detect submarines and gather acoustic intelligence using radar
and electro-optical technology, according to the company. It has a mast, like
larger crewed submarines, and a telescope to help detect targets at sea and on
the coast, the company added in a statement.



“It is also equipped with dedicated sonars to enable the detection of both
manned and unmanned submarines, and map mines on the seabed,” IAI noted, as well
as “a special sensor suite [that] ensures safe transit for the submarine both
below and in the proximity of the sea surface.”

The company also said the sub can conduct acoustic intelligence as well as
search for and detect naval mines on the seabed. Mine detection is conducted
with dedicated synthetic aperture sonar, attached to the sides of the vessel.

“By using a satellite communications antenna on the mast, the gathered data can
be transferred in real-time to command posts, anywhere in the world, at sea or
on land. Submarine detection and acoustic intelligence-gathering data is enabled
using a sonar, several tens of meters long, towed by the BlueWhale, and by flank
array sonar with receiver arrays attached to both sides of the platform,” IAI
said in the statement.

The company added that BlueWhale has “undergone thousands of autonomous
operation hours, including intelligence-gathering for both maritime and coastal
targets, acoustic intelligence, and identifying the presence of naval mines.” It
also noted the platform can perform a portion of operations performed by crewed
subs and can operate for several weeks at a time at “minimal cost and
maintenance, without the need for operators on board.”



The BlueWhale has a sensor suite to help ensure its safe transit underwater or
near the surface. In recent years, a number of international patents were
registered regarding development of the system, the company said.

IAI did not elaborate on the cost of the system.

Navies around the world are seeking more unmanned solutions at sea, particularly
the U.S. Navy, which wants to field more unmanned vessels and is running a
program in the Gulf region to test unmanned surface units. In 2021, IAI
partnered with Emirati conglomerate Edge Group to develop unmanned surface
vessels.

Underwater threats, such as the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline, which
several countries have blamed on sabotage, are driving these efforts.

About Seth J. Frantzman

Seth J. Frantzman is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has covered
conflict in the Mideast since 2010 for different publications. He has experience
covering the international coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and
Syria, and he is a co-founder and executive director of the Middle East Center
for Reporting and Analysis.

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