Commander of the German Fleet and Vice Chief of the German Navy Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack visited Israel last week and had talks with Israel Navy Commander David Saar Salama, Germany’s Ministry of Defense has announced. The discussions focused on future naval technology including unmanned submarines.
Recent discussions between German and Israeli naval leaders, according to website "Army Recognition" has likely centered on the BlueWhale underwater drone, a collaboration between Israel's Elta Systems and Germany's Atlas Elektronik. According to the report the unmanned submarine weighs 5.5 tons and is 10.9 meters long and can operate underwater for 30 days at a speed of two to seven knots.
Israel has invested heavily in the development of underwater armaments to counter Iran, the ZM website reports. Israel is investing in the development of underwater armaments to counter Iran, the ZM (Zona Militar) website reports. Atlas Electronik presented BlueWhale at the REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems) annual military exercise organized and hosted by the Portuguese Navy and NATO. The craft was displayed before 200 people from academic institutions, defense companies, and military forces from thirty countries.
The Israeli-German collaboration facilitates intelligence gathering using a telescopic mast that sticks out of the water while the craft is submerged, on which are installed radar and electro-optic systems for detecting targets on sea and land.
Via satellite communications antennas on the mast, the information is transmitted in real time to command positions that can be anywhere in the world, on sea or shore. Submarine detection and acoustic intelligence gathering are performed by sonar systems along the sides of the vessel. According to research institute VMR, the unmanned military submarines market is expected to grow from $3.4 billion in 2021 to $8 billion in 2030.
The vessel was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries’ Elta division.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on July 22, 2024.
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