Jerusalem, 26 February (H.S.): In a groundbreaking fusion of Israeli ingenuity and German maritime prowess, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems delivered the BlueWhale, a colossal autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), to the German Navy at Eckernförde naval base, heralding a new epoch in unmanned naval warfare.

Dubbed the Fatherland's largest and most sophisticated underwater drone to date, BlueWhale—unveiled in 2023—emerged from rigorous Baltic Sea trials, a theater fraught with NATO-Russia frictions since Moscow's 2022 Ukraine incursion. This stealthy behemoth, forged for anti-submarine combat and clandestine operations, integrates radar, electro-optical sensors, advanced sonar, and Thyssenkrupp's towed array technology to pinpoint sea-surface threats, submarines, naval mines, and hybrid perils like undersea cable sabotage.

The handover ceremony drew luminaries including Israel's Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor, IAI President & CEO Boaz Levy, German Navy chief Vice Adm. Jan Christian Kaack, and State Secretary Jens Plötner, who hailed the milestone as pivotal for autonomous underwater systems amid surging offshore vulnerabilities.

This pact amplifies burgeoning Israel-Germany defense ties, underscored by January's counterterrorism-cyber pact and December's $3.1 billion Arrow 3 missile expansion. As navies worldwide race to safeguard pipelines and cables from gray zone aggressions, BlueWhale positions Germany at the vanguard, blending Israeli innovation with Teutonic engineering for supremacy in contested waters.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar