BlueWhale Submarine (IAI)
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has just unleashed the BlueWhale on the world – an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, in other words, an unmanned submarine. This new submarine can be used for all manner of operations, including spy missions, without risking any personnel. And kudos to an aircraft firm like IAI for getting into the sea-based defense business.
So, BlueWhale is in effect a UAV – drone – but one that Cn be used under the water. Leave it to Israel and its IAI to innovate something like this.
But wait – you might say. Don’t they already have unmanned submarines? Why is BlueWhale different than other such subs?
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Well, in short, a lot.
BlueWhale is intended for covert intelligence-gathering operations, to detect submarines and gather acoustic intelligence. It is also equipped with dedicated sonars to enable the detection of both manned and unmanned submarines, and map mines on the seabed. And a special sensor suite ensures safe transit for the submarine both below and in the proximity of the sea surface.
And BlueWhale has already undergone thousands of autonomous operation hours, including intelligence-gathering for both maritime and coastal targets, acoustic intelligence, and identifying the presence of naval mines. IAI says this autonomous submarine can perform a significant portion of the operations of a manned submarine, for periods of several weeks, at minimal cost and maintenance, without the need for operators on board.
BlueWhale is equipped with a telescopic mast, like the periscope of a manned submarine, several meters high, on which are mounted radar and electro-optical systems for detecting sea and coastal targets. 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.
In parallel, mine detection is performed using a dedicated synthetic aperture sonar, attached to the sides of the vessel. 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 have been registered regarding the development of the system.
IAI’s VP and ELTA’s CEO Yoav Tourgema said, “BlueWhale joins the family of land, sea, and space-based unmanned platforms, developed by IAI, and represents a force-multiplier for submarine fleets. Based on its advanced engineering capabilities IAI’s Elta Group has for the first time in the world managed to bring to maturity the development and production of an autonomous underwater system able to perform a wide range of tasks. BlueWhale is a significant member of IAI’s family of maritime products, which include solutions for use in Economic Exclusion Zones, tools for managing autonomous vessels, and their integration in monitoring the maritime arena.”
