German Navy Tests Out Sub-Tracking Drone Submersible in the Baltic Sea

Germany is testing out a unique unmanned drone sub designed for antisubmarine warfare, one of the first platforms of its kind ever tested publicly. 

Over the span of a two-week trial in November, the German Navy tested out the Israeli-built IAI BlueWhale in the waters of the Baltic, one of the most contested arenas for subsea espionage in the world. It is a difficult region for submarine operations, with confined, shallow waters and high levels of traffic. 

BlueWhale is a unique device. It is capable of fully-electric operation for 2-4 weeks at a time, and is designed for stealthy maneuvering. It can be fitted with sensor payloads for antisubmarine warfare, surface intelligence gathering, bottom survey and mine countermeasures missions. 

Its most compelling role might be its ability to find and track hostile submarines without betraying its own presence, thereby removing the veil of stealth from the subsurface environment. According to IAI, it is "proven in operation" and has more than 2,000 hours of operating time in several ocean basins. 

To achieve submarine detection, BlueWhale carries its own towed array sonar and can dive into subsurface bathymetric layers, where submarines often like to hide to mask their acoustic signals. This is typically a task for a manned attack sub, many times larger and more expensive than BlueWhale; low-cost unmanned subs that can perform the same detect-and-track function could increase ASW capabilities for the operator, without the tremendous expense and industrial-base demands of a manned submarine program. 

Courtesy Bundeswehr

Germany's navy is aware that unmanned systems are changing the nature of warfare at sea, and it is moving at pace to acquire drone capabilities. "We . . . need to become much faster in getting these technologies into use and working with them in the Navy," acknowledged the anonymous officer heading up the initiative's test team.