Germany receives an Israeli-made Unmanned Submarine
The German navy announced on Wednesday that it had received an Israeli-made Blue Whale unmanned submarine dedicated to reconnaissance and detection of hybrid threats at sea.
The German navy said in a statement that the submarine, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries in cooperation with the German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, arrived at the port of Eckernfürde in the north of the country.
The German navy said on its website that the Blue Whale was the largest and most advanced unmanned underwater marine vehicle to date.
The statement added that the drone submarine has been tested in the Baltic Sea, a hotbed of tension between Russia and NATO since the outbreak of its war against Ukraine in 2022.
Military experts and European leaders accuse Russia of waging a hybrid war in the strategic region, through airspace breaches and alleged sabotage of submarine cables.
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems said the Blue Whale is capable of conducting reconnaissance operations, monitoring targets above and below sea surface, collecting acoustic information, and locating mines on the seafloor.
Israel and Germany have stepped up their defense cooperation in recent months, and in January concluded a security agreement to expand joint work in the field of counterterrorism and cyber defense.
In December, Germany approved a $3.1 billion expansion of a contract for the purchase of the Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile defense system, an Israeli-made system developed with US support.
