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Germany Deploys BlueWhale Unmanned Submarine to Track Russian Baltic Fleet Activity
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Germany has officially introduced the BlueWhale autonomous underwater vehicle into its naval fleet to strengthen its position in the Baltic Sea against Russian maritime activity.
German company TKMS and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced the delivery of this large-scale unmanned submarine, according to Defense Express on February 26.
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The handover ceremony took place at the Eckernförde naval base following a series of successful tests in the Baltic Sea. Representatives from TKMS noted that this specific body of water is one of the most difficult and demanding operational areas for the German Navy.
The BlueWhale is described as the first fully autonomous large underwater vehicle of its kind. While developed by IAI in Israel, the ATLAS ELEKTRONIK division of TKMS was responsible for integrating specialized sonar systems designed for anti-submarine warfare.
The craft is built to perform a variety of roles, including anti-submarine tasks and covert maritime operations. It is capable of conducting reconnaissance by detecting both underwater and surface targets, gathering acoustic data, and identifying sea mines on the ocean floor.
Michael Ozegowski, Executive Vice President of TKMS ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, emphasized the importance of this technology for national security.
“We are proud to support the [German] Navy as part of its Kurs Marine 2035+ development plan and actively respond to existing security threats with our solutions. The rapid introduction of new technologies is a common goal of industry and the Navy and significantly strengthens Germany’s defense capabilities,” Ozegowski stated.
The BlueWhale, also known as the ELI-3325, was first officially showcased in May 2025 at the IMDEX exhibition in Singapore. It had previously been demonstrated to the Portuguese Navy during the REPMUS and Dynamic Messenger exercises.
The technical specifications of the BlueWhale include a length of 10.9 meters and a weight of 5.5 tons. It can remain submerged for up to four weeks at a maximum depth of 300 meters, reaching underwater speeds of approximately 13 kilometers per hour.
Earlier, Russia’s “shadow fleet” was used for hybrid warfare in the Baltic Sea, including weapon smuggling and the sabotage of undersea cables. A key incident involved the ship Fitburg, which was detained by Finnish authorities on New Year’s Eve 2025 after damaging a subsea cable.
This vessel, found carrying sanctioned steel and military goods, was part of a broader pattern of 11 reported incidents by 2025 aimed at testing NATO’s resilience through maritime espionage and infrastructure attacks.
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