Elbit adds underwater drones to naval lineup

Elbit Systems announced on Thursday that it will showcase its unmanned underwater vehicle capabilities for the first time at Euronaval 2026. The maritime defense trade show is scheduled to take place in Paris from November 3 to November 6.

The presentation marks an expansion of the company’s autonomous maritime portfolio into the underwater domain. Elbit added these new capabilities after acquiring International Submarine Engineering Ltd. last week. ISE is a provider of autonomous underwater systems that has delivered more than 250 underwater vehicles to customers in over 20 countries.

The new systems will be displayed alongside the Seagull family of unmanned surface vessels and other naval solutions. The Seagull systems have been conducting patrol and reconnaissance missions since 2017. These existing platforms have also located and neutralized sea mines and supported anti-submarine operations, but their focus remained on missions above the sea surface.

Elbit states that its new modular autonomous underwater vehicles are designed for intelligence gathering, mine countermeasure operations, and anti-submarine warfare. The systems also support seabed mapping and the protection of critical maritime infrastructure. They are built for long-endurance autonomous operations and integrate payloads such as sonars, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, and mission-specific sensors.

The company’s architecture allows for integrated operations between underwater and surface autonomous systems. This setup supports manned-unmanned teaming concepts, where human operators work in tandem with drone-style vehicles. According to the company, this vertically integrated approach enables coordinated autonomous maritime formations tailored to operational requirements.

Oren Sabag, General Manager of Elbit Systems ISTAR & EW, said navies are increasingly seeking comprehensive autonomous solutions for complex maritime missions. He noted that the addition of underwater capabilities strengthens the company’s ability to provide a holistic operational solution spanning surface and underwater systems, payloads, and mission management.

Sources have not indicated any expected problems with the French government regarding Israeli participation in the event. However, air force-focused conferences have seen friction between Paris and Jerusalem in recent years.