Israel is investing in new capabilities related to underwater combat to address the growing Iranian threat. Some systems have already been operated, while others are still in testing. The latest addition is the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) BlueWhale unmanned submarine.
The new autonomous submarine has been developed by Elta, the electronics subsidiary of IAI, and is now ready for serial production. IAI has pioneered in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and has now used all the building blocks to build, according to Israeli experts, one of the most advanced underwater submarines.
The Iranians are enhancing their presence in the seas of the Gulf and Middle East regions with help from Russia. If Iran succeeds in its goal to build floating naval bases off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in the Egyptian region of Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea, it is anticipated that its maritime actions will soon change. The floating bases are claimed to be ordinary ships that have been modified to conduct military operations and gather intelligence.
Vice Admiral (Ret.) Eliezer Marum, a former commander of the Israeli navy, told Zona Militar that the Iranians are enhancing their “maritime guerilla” actions, deploying explosive boats and armed drones to attack American and Israeli targets. Marum noted that it is simple for the Iranians to conceal their activity until they are close to a prospective target in the two very popular maritime channels, the Gulf and Red Sea.
According to IAI, the 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. The official release states that like manned submarines, BlueWhale performs covert intelligence-gathering above the sea surface, can detect submarines, underwater targets and gather acoustic intelligence, and also search for and detect naval mines on the seabed.
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 are 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.
According to IAI, 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.
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