Underwater drone Blue Whale: German Navy takes delivery of first system from TKMS Atlas Elektronik and IAI

On 25 February, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Chief of the German Navy (Bundeswehr), took delivery of the first Blue Whale. The underwater drone (Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle) was handed over by Michael Ozegowski, Executive Vice President of TKMS Atlas Elektronik, and Boaz Levy, CEO of IAI. State Secretary Jens Plötner attended.

With today's handover of the first Blue Whale, we are clearly showing that in procurement we take the statement ‘time is the decisive factor’ seriously. This success is based on the flexible use of all available instruments and the close, goal-oriented cooperation of everyone involved. What matters now is to move into series production on this basis to meet the Navy's operational needs as quickly as possible— State Secretary Jens Plötner

With the acceptance of the first Blue Whale, we are consistently implementing Kurs Marine with regard to introducing unmanned underwater systems. We relied on proven products on the market, radically shortened decision-making processes and involved the troops in the requirements from the outset. And all that in a few months instead of years – light speed in procurement, so to speak. Building a hybrid fleet starts right now— Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Chief of the German Navy

Underwater drone for reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare

In Kurs Marine, its guiding strategy, the Navy's chief describes how the service is to become a hybrid force: unmanned systems are to be a natural part of maritime operations. In future, unmanned underwater vehicles will take over underwater reconnaissance tasks, complementing the crewed submarines.

That is exactly what Blue Whale is intended for. The system was developed for maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare; the Navy and WTD 71 (the Bundeswehr's naval test centre) tested it intensively at the end of 2024 in the OPEX Blue Whale experimental campaign. The sea trials were so convincing that the system's procurement was fast-tracked.