Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) today delivered to the German Navy an unmanned submarine in a deal estimated to be worth tens of millions of euros, which could pave the way for further acquisitions, German media reported today. Last summer, it was reported that the Germans were interested in purchasing the BlueWhale autonomous submarine, developed by the Israeli company in collaboration with German company Atlas, a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp.
Today, the submarine was delivered at a festive ceremony held in the city of Eckernforde near Kiel. The ceremony was attended by senior representatives from the German Ministry of Defense and the German Navy.
This acquisition reverses the situation in which Israel that has acquired six advanced German submarines (the sixth has not yet been delivered) at a cost of billions of euros and partially financed by Germany.
The unmanned BlueWhale submarine is a 10.9-meter-long vessel, and is used mainly for intelligence gathering by electronic means. According to reports from the German military, it was already tested last summer in the Baltic Sea, where it will operate. The vessel can also detect hostile submarines and other vessels, assist in mine clearance and other surveillance activities. According to reports about the submarine, Bluewhale weighs about 5.5 tons, is capable of diving to a depth of 300 meters and remaining at sea for weeks, depending on the type of its operation. It contains a variety of radar, SIGINT and electro-optical systems. IAI unit Elta has been responsible for the unmanned submarine and the international collaborations involved in its production.
Greece is also interested in procuring BlueWhale
IAI CEO Boaz Levy said, "IAI's autonomous systems in the air, at sea, on land and in space are in operational use and provide a major technological advantage, while improving the ability to protect the lives of fighters in the field. The delivery of BlueWhale to the German Navy demonstrates the close cooperation we have with TKMS ATLAS ELEKTRONIK and the degree of mutual trust between Israel and Germany."
The Baltic Sea, with its many communications infrastructures (and in the past also natural gas conveyance infrastructures such as Nord Stream) is the "soft underbelly" of Germany and other European countries. In recent years, there have been many cases of Chinese and Russian boats, and those associated with them, severing communication cables, in what the Europeans perceive as an attempt to disrupt communications and a possible threat in the event of war.
In Greece, which is also in advanced stages of procuring BlueWhale from IAI, analysts have said that the price is estimated at about €80 million. Today's delivery in Germany marks the first global sale of the system and additional countries may be interested in buying the submarine.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 25, 2026.
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