The ability to deploy powerful sensors in very close proximity to hostile maritime assets, without detection and without endangering the lives of crewmembers, is a paramount capability – both in times of relative calm and certainly during conflict. Conventional submarines, with their ability to operate stealthily and carry an array of weapons and electronic payloads are an indispensable asset, but they are costly, their crews require extensive training, and are subjected to continuous high-risk during operations. Moreover, even the largest navies are not able to deploy sufficient submarine forces to achieve all their objectives given the vast expanses of ocean that they operate in.
Faced with a shortage of platforms as well as budgetary and staffing challenges, naval commanders are forever searching for solutions to increase operational capabilities. In response, the innovative systems & sensors subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, ELTA Systems Ltd., has revealed “Blue Whale“, a “first of its kind” subsurface system with features and onboard capabilities beyond anything seen before. “Blue Whale” marries a stealthy, high performance unmanned underwater platform; radar, SIGINT, and communications technologies; and extensive onboard processing capabilities, to achieve breakthrough underwater warfare capabilities.
“Blue Whale” performs a valuable share of the conventional submarine intelligence gathering workload at a lower cost, and without putting naval crews at direct risk. A true “force multiplier”, Blue Whale incorporates an advanced sensors suite together with powerful onboard processing capabilities to support conventional manned submarine fleets in the following important missions:
- Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), including covert coastal operations
- Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) – hunting submarines in their own domain
- Acoustic Intelligence (ACINT)
- Covert mine detection and other Mine Counter Measures (MCM)
- Special forces support, including scout and mule
- Forward scout and patrol for conventional submarines (underwater “loyal wingman”)
- Piracy, terrorism and illegal immigration detection
- Oceanology expeditionary support
“Blue Whale” is proven in the above listed mission profiles. It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that Blue Whale’s ability to efficiently execute these tasks without endangering personnel represents a quantum leap in capabilities. Moreover, “Blue Whale” is designed to accommodate continuous improvement that further increases its already impressive capabilities. Whether in response to changing operational requirements or on account of the availability of new payloads, the system’s flexible, modular architecture, offers the growth potential to keep up with future developments.
The underwater systems team lead, EE, an experienced naval officer with over twenty- five years at sea in various command positions, brings a wealth of experience into the “Blue Whale” Program. With regard to the system’s capabilities, EE maintains that “Blue Whale, with its array of advanced sensors and systems, is essentially the first UUV that can really complement larger manned platforms”. He continues, ” by exploiting the newest technologies we are able to achieve a high-performance sensor suite with significantly reduced size and weight. We equip “Blue Whale” with an unprecedented array of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and other capabilities – all at a relatively low cost “.
Explaining the impetus for developing “Blue Whale”, EE explains that “manned submarines are a requisite asset for expeditionary navies but there are never enough of them to fulfill all of the required tasks. There is a need for a platform that complements them by safely, covertly and autonomously performing some of the necessary mission portfolios.” He points out that “while IAI and ELTA have a worldwide reputation for air and land solutions, their impressive naval heritage is less well-known. Actually, IAI was the first company to develop a sea skimming anti-ship missile, and the company boasts numerous breakthroughs in naval radars, ELINT, communications systems and self- defense systems. In addition to the company’s naval legacy, “Blue Whale” also benefits from IAI’s position as a world leader in UAV systems and ELTA’s expertise in autonomous robotic systems. “Blue Whale” gains from the wealth of experience amassed in the design and development of these systems – applying this extensive know-how to the undersea arena.” With specific regards to the platform’s unique ASW capabilities, EE noted that “cooperation with ATLAS ELEKTRONIK in the integration of the company’s superb Towed Array Sonar, gives Blue Whale incredible submarine hunting performance by taking this sophisticated sensor technology directly to depths traditionally considered detection free zones.”
“Blue Whale” is a Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) for high endurance and stealthy intelligence gathering missions in otherwise inaccessible littoral waters. Running solely on the power provided by its high-performance Li-ion battery pack,
the 10.9-meter-long, 5.5-ton vessel runs quietly and depending on mission profile, can stay on station for as long as four weeks. Additional performance parameters include a submerged speed of 7 knots and a 300-meter depth rating. A key design feature of this rugged, advanced underwater platform is a unique, patented surface payloads mast that is completely sealed to protect surface sensors and equipment when submerged. The mast can be configured with various payloads and antennae, including SATCOM. The latter facilitates the real-time exchange of data with command and control.
The range of advanced sensors and systems is available to optimally configure the modular “Blue Whale” for a wide array of mission profiles. Surface payload options include:
- Radar
- Day/Night EO/IR
- COMINT/ELINT/ESM
Sub-surface sensor options include:
- Towed Array Sonar (TAS) developed by ATLAS ELEKTRONIK
- Active and passive Flank Array Sonar (FAS) for the detection of surface vessels and submarines
- Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) for mine detection and high-resolution sea bottom mapping developed by KRAKEN
- Magnetic sensors for mine detection verification
“Blue Whale” is operated and managed via a dedicated, cyber protected Command & Control (C2) system, which facilitates a continuous Situation Awareness Picture, Call-to- Action commands, events blogger, remote operation and more. With its modular design, wide array of sensor and system payloads, and operational flexibility, “Blue Whale” offers naval forces unprecedented unmanned and autonomous capabilities. The system constitutes nothing less than a game changing force multiplier, providing the benefits of a large submarine force while answering the need to minimize budgetary and manpower requirements.
ELTA offers an extensive portfolio of high-performance, operationally proven systems, ranging from multi-mission aircraft, manned and unmanned ground vehicles, through to UUVs. System solutions cover integrated EW (ESM/ECM), Radar, EO/IR, IMINT, Launch Detection Systems (LDS), SAR/GMTI, SIGINT, and cyber. This diverse expertise is a key factor in the ability to deliver revolutionary, high end strategic solution such as “Blue Whale” to partners worldwide.
