Elbit Systems presents underwater drones for first time to expand deep sea reconnaissance capabilities.

Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems presented its unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) portfolio for the first time at Euronaval 2026 in Paris. The debut expands the company’s autonomous naval operations into deep-sea reconnaissance, mine countermeasures, and underwater infrastructure protection following its October 20 acquisition of Canadian subsea robotics firm International Submarine Engineering (ISE). Elbit plans to integrate ISE's Explorer AUV (which features a 6,000-meter depth rating, 600-km range, and 115-hour endurance) with its 12-meter Seagull unmanned surface vessel (USV) to enable coordinated multi-domain subsurface surveillance and seabed inspection.

Israel's Elbit Systems presented its underwater drone capabilities for the first time at Euronaval 2026 in Paris, following its acquisition of Canada's ISE, including autonomous vehicles capable of diving to depths of 6,000 m and traveling up to 600 km without recharging. (Picture source: Elbit Systems)

On November 3, 2026, the Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems introduced its autonomous underwater vehicle capabilities for the first time at Euronaval 2026 in Paris, extending its naval operations into deep-sea reconnaissance, mine countermeasures, and underwater infrastructure surveillance. The expansion follows its October 20 acquisition of the Canadian company International Submarine Engineering (ISE), whose Explorer autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) can travel up to 600 km, operate for 115 hours and reach depths of 6,000 meters, depending on configuration. Elbit also gains access to ISE's underwater engineering technologies developed through the Theseus AUV, which deployed 220-km fiber-optic cables beneath Arctic ice.

This purchase could also improve integrated operations between underwater and surface autonomous systems, particularly with Elbit's 12-meter Seagull unmanned surface vessel (USV), capable of operating for more than 96 hours with sonar, mine-disposal equipment and optional torpedo armament. The objective behind this wider portfolio is also to distribute seabed reconnaissance, submarine surveillance and mine-countermeasure tasks between more autonomous vehicles operating above and below the surface. Elbit acquired ISE for an undisclosed amount, considered financially immaterial, adding more than 50 years of underwater robotics experience and an industrial portfolio comprising over 250 vehicles delivered to customers in more than 20 countries.

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ISE operates facilities in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, manufacturing AUVs, remotely operated vehicles, control systems, robotics, and launch-and-recovery equipment. Its products include the Explorer, the Theseus, HYSUB work-class ROVs, defense ROVs, Dorado semi-submersibles, and Aurora towfish. Unlike surface vessels using towed sonar, the Explorer AUV can conduct direct seabed surveys at depths reaching 6,000 meters, whereas the Seagull can remain on the surface to conduct acoustic searches, maintain communications and support other naval missions. The acquisition also gives Elbit access to ISE's autonomous navigation software, underwater docking technology and recovery equipment, which are necessary for deploying AUVs repeatedly.

Oren Sabag, General Manager of Elbit Systems ISTAR & EW, also linked this expansion to coordinated surface-underwater operations and cooperation between crewed and uncrewed naval assets. The Explorer AUV is available with depth ratings of 1,000, 3,000 and 6,000 meters, corresponding to hydrostatic pressures of roughly 100, 300 and 600 bar above atmospheric pressure. Depending on its configuration, it measures 4.5 to 7.5 meters in length, 0.69 to 0.74 meters in diameter and weighs 620 to 1,700 kg. Lithium-ion battery capacity varies between 24 and 139 kWh, while specified endurance ranges from 24 to 115 hours and operating distance from 160 to 600 km between charges. Survey speeds range from 0.75 to 2.5 m/s, equivalent to 2.7 to 9 km/h or 1.46 to 4.86 knots.

Covering 600 km in 115 hours would theoretically require an average speed of 1.45 m/s, while maintaining the maximum survey speed would theoretically cover the same distance in 66 hours and 40 minutes, excluding currents and maneuvering. Similarly, the largest 139-kWh battery pack would support an average electrical consumption of 1.21 kW over 115 hours if its entire nominal capacity were usable. The Explorer also has a 5-meter turning radius, a maximum ascent or descent angle of 60 degrees and terrain-following capability beginning 1.5 meters above the seabed, allowing close-range inspection of underwater structures and surveys along irregular bottom contours. The Explorer carries interchangeable sensor sections accommodating synthetic aperture sonar (SAR), side-scan sonar, multibeam echosounders and sub-bottom profilers for seabed imaging, bathymetry and subsurface sediment examination.

Additional equipment includes magnetometers, laser scanners, high-definition cameras and sensors measuring conductivity, temperature, depth, pH, carbon dioxide partial pressure, methane, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and nitrates. Survey productivity reaches 750 to 1,100 km of track per week of ship time with sensors operating, although actual seabed coverage logically depends on sonar swath width and overlap. At a hypothetical effective swath of 150 meters, 1,100 km of survey track would cover 165 km² before accounting for overlap, but the Explorer's actual swath width remains undisclosed. Navigation combines inertial guidance, a Doppler velocity logger, depth measurement, obstacle-avoidance sonar, and acoustic positioning, supplemented by GPS when surfaced. Automatic ultra-short baseline and long baseline corrections limit accumulated positioning errors when acoustic references are available.

The ISE Automated Control Engine manages autonomous operations, while onboard processing and a backseat-driver interface support mission-specific sensors and software. The Explorer can be deployed through six launch-and-recovery arrangements using cranes, ramps, docking heads, A-frames, trailers or containerized equipment, including autonomous recovery from appropriately equipped USVs. Its batteries recharge on deck in less than three hours without routine battery-pack replacement. Recharging a fully depleted 139-kWh installation within three hours would logically require at least 46.3 kW of average charging power before electrical losses, a relevant consideration for integration aboard smaller vessels. The Explorer also supports underwater docking for recovery, charging, data transfer, and redeployment without repeated deck handling.

The AUV can also incorporate variable ballast, gateway-buoy compatibility, underwater charging, and homing capabilities exceeding 50 km for operations beneath ice. Returning from 50 km at 1.5 m/s would require 9.26 hours of transit before accounting for currents and maneuvering, making battery reserves necessary for recovery. These capabilities could reduce the need for a crewed vessel to remain continuously above an AUV's operating area, particularly when an underwater docking station provides electrical power and communications. For its part, the Theseus AUV was developed for the Canadian Department of National Defence under the Canada-U.S. Spinnaker project to conduct long-distance autonomous operations beneath Arctic ice.

It deployed multiple fiber-optic cables, each extending 220 km, beneath ice measuring 2.5 meters thick, operating in waters reaching 600 meters of depth and completing more than 60 hours of continuous under-ice operation. Its configurable pressure hull and modular payload bay accommodate cable-laying equipment and smaller AUVs, allowing underwater transport and deployment of specialized equipment beyond the immediate reach of surface ships. A variable-ballast system enables the Theseus to remain stationary on the seabed before resuming operations according to a programmed schedule or external command, thus reducing propulsion requirements during periods without movement. These capabilities are relevant to underwater communications infrastructure, remote instrumentation and deployment of smaller inspection vehicles.

The Seagull now provides the surface component of Elbit's proposed autonomous naval operations. The 12-meter USV uses composite and aluminum construction, removable floats and dynamic positioning, and can be transported in a 40-foot container. It operates for more than 96 hours at cruising speed in crewed, remotely controlled or autonomous modes, using line-of-sight and satellite communications. A mission control station installed aboard a ship, at headquarters, or on a land vehicle can simultaneously operate two Seagull vessels through an integrated C4I system. Underwater sensors include TRAPS towed reelable active-passive sonar, KATFISH synthetic aperture sonar, long-range dipping sonar and forward-looking sonar, supporting submarine surveillance and mine reconnaissance.

The Seagull can detect, classify and localize bottom, moored and drifting mines, with expendable mine-disposal vehicles and diver-neutralization equipment available for intervention. Armament options include a remotely controlled 12.7 mm weapon station, torpedo-launching equipment and non-lethal weapons, supplemented by electro-optical sensors, electronic support measures and electronic countermeasures. These mission systems are modular, and simultaneous carriage of every sonar and weapon configuration has not been established. Combining the Explorer AUV and the Seagull USV, for instance, could allow naval forces to conduct seabed reconnaissance, acoustic surveillance and mine-disposal operations concurrently rather than assigning these tasks sequentially to a single crewed vessel.

The Explorer could inspect underwater routes using synthetic aperture sonar, side-scan sonar and multibeam bathymetry while the Seagull searches adjacent sectors with KATFISH and investigates selected contacts using expendable mine-disposal vehicles. In anti-submarine operations, the Seagull's TRAPS and dipping sonar could maintain acoustic surveillance while the Explorer conducts separate submerged reconnaissance, although coordinated submarine-tracking performance remains unquantified. The Explorer's range and depth configurations also permit inspection of cables, pipelines and seabed installations beyond the Seagull's immediate operating area. Elbit's wider naval equipment includes the Aqua Marine electronic warfare, the DESEAVER Mk-4 countermeasures, GNSS jamming and spoofing, DAiR radar, SPECTRO XR electro-optical surveillance, 30 mm naval guns with SkyBurst proximity-fuzed ammunition, and hull-mounted sonar. These capabilities could connect underwater reconnaissance with surface and aerial threat monitoring, but a fully integrated configuration has not been demonstrated.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.