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A ‘Blue Whale’ submarine weighting 5.5 ton has been deployed to monitor saboteurs working for Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
Developed by Israel and released by Germany’s navy, the unmanned drone is roaming the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea where, which has become something of a microscope of global tensions.
Russian and Chinese vessels routinely circulate its waters, raising fears of sabotage.
As tensions mount over the cutting of undersea power lines and telecom cables, the giant drone will to patrol across European waters on behalf of Nato.
A map showing where the unmanned drone has travelled to (Picture: Elta Systems)
Member nations will also deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure.
‘Potential threats to our infrastructure will have consequences, including possible boarding, impounding and arrest,’ Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said on Tuesday.
The drone is designed to perform covert intelligence-gathering above the surface of the sea, detect submarines and other underwater targets, gather acoustic intelligence, and detect naval mines on the seabed.
Notably, the ‘Blue Whale’ can do so without emitting signals of its own that would alert its targets that they are being tracked, according to Germany.
The drone is designed to perform covert intelligence-gathering above the surface of the sea (Picture: Elta Systems)
‘This a capability currently only available via manned submarines, which makes it significant for maritime surveillance,’ a statement said.
The drones fall into the category of large unmanned underwater vehicles, weighing in at a whopping 5.5 tons, with a length of almost 11 metres and a diameter of over 1 meter.
It is believed to be able to stay submerged for up to 30 days, reported The Telegraph.
The German military first carried out test launches of the Blue Whale back in November, according to Naval News.
CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Boaz Levy, said: We are facing a new era in which submarines will change the situational picture and operational capabilities like the changes brought about by unmanned aircraft in the past.
‘An autonomous submarine can perform a significant portion of the tasks of a manned submarine, without the need for operators on board, for up to several weeks.
‘In addition to its intelligence-gathering capabilities, the BlueWhale system excels in detecting other submarines and covertly mapping mines on the seabed, using its advanced sonar systems.’
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