Israel’s Elbit acquires Canadian company focused on autonomous underwater systems

An underwater system from International Submarine Engineering. Elbit Systems acquired ISE in October 2026. (Photo courtesy of Elbit Systems)

JERUSALEM — Israel’s Elbit Systems has acquired International Submarine Engineering, a Vancouver-based company “specializing in advanced autonomous underwater and remotely operated systems for the maritime domain,” the company announced.

The acquisition, announced Tuesday , represents an expansion for the Israeli defense giant into underwater autonomous systems.

“ISE’s underwater technologies will further strengthen our position as a global provider of comprehensive, integrated maritime solutions,” Elbit President and CEO Bezhalel Machlis said in a company statement.

ISE was founded in 1974 and has worked on underwater robotics as well as autonomous and remotely operated systems.Elbit noted that the Canadian company has “delivered over 250 underwater vehicles to customers in more than 20 countries worldwide.”

Machlis, according to the statement, noted that the acquisition would build on the company’s “existing capabilities in naval electronic warfare, autonomous systems, naval precision munitions and maritime mission systems.”

Saar Koursh, Elbit’s senior vice president and general manager of Elbit Naval Systems said in a statement to Breaking Defense that “the maritime domain is an important growth area for Elbit Systems, and we continue to expand our capabilities to meet evolving operational needs.”

The addition of autonomous underwater capabilities through the acquisition complements Elbit’s existing Seagull unmanned surface vessel (USV), Koursh said. He added that the acquisition of ISE will enable Elbit to provide “naval forces with a complete multi-domain autonomous ecosystem, integrating UAVs, USVs and AUVs into a single mission framework.”

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Elbit’s maritime systems also include “integrated command-and-control (C2) suites, electro-optical and sonar systems, communications and electronic warfare technologies,” Tuesday’s statement said.

Koursh explained that “this enables customers to deploy coordinated air, surface and underwater autonomous assets as part of one end-to-end operational solution, while also offering standalone systems tailored to specific customer needs.”

The Israeli company did not disclose the cost of the acquisition but noted it was “completed for a purchase price that is not material to Elbit Systems.”

The announcement comes as Elbit — along with Israel’s other defense giants — has seen record sales in recent years. In its second quarter financial report, released in August, it said it had revenues of $2.3 billion and a record order backlog of $32 billion.

Elbit has also been focused in recent years on expanding its naval systems in the autonomous and unmanned realm. The company foresees the acquisition of ISE expanding its capabilities in underwater intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) as well as mine counter measures and anti-submarine warfare.

The Israeli defense giant has been developing unmanned surface vessels over the last decade, developing a 12-meter and 20-meter version of its Seagull USV. Seagull has been outfitted to conduct mine clearance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. In 2022 Seagull was sent to US Central Command’s Digital Horizon event in the Persian Gulf as part of a CENTCOM initiative to showcase the use of new unmanned systems. In a recent video, Elbit showcased the development of the USVs to conduct scanning and strikes at sea.

“One of Elbit’s important milestones has been the successful deployment of unmanned vessels in active military operations. Today, dozens of its USVs are in service worldwide with additional currently under production,” Elbit said in a 2025 statement . “These real-world deployments showcase how autonomous systems aim to safeguard maritime security while keeping personnel out of harm’s way.”

Elbit has expanded its work on naval solutions to other countries besides Canada. In February, Elbit and Germany’s TKMS said they had inaugurated a new production line in Israel for submarine components. In May, they signed an MOU for a “strategic framework agreement to explore opportunities for cooperation in the development, integration and commercialization of advanced naval defense solutions.”

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这是国际潜艇工程公司（International Submarine Engineering，ISE）的一套水下系统。埃尔比特系统公司（Elbit Systems）于2026年10月收购了ISE。（图片由埃尔比特系统公司提供）

耶路撒冷——以色列埃尔比特系统公司宣布，该公司已收购总部位于温哥华的国际潜艇工程公司，该公司“专门从事用于海洋领域的先进自主水下和远程操作系统”。

周二宣布的这项收购，标志着这家以色列国防巨头向水下自主系统领域扩张。

“ISE 的水下技术将进一步巩固我们作为全球综合性、一体化海洋解决方案提供商的地位，”埃尔比特总裁兼首席执行官贝扎莱尔·马赫利斯在一份公司声明中表示。

ISE成立于1974年，一直致力于水下机器人以及自主和远程操作系统的研究。埃尔比特指出，这家加拿大公司已“向全球20多个国家的客户交付了超过250台水下航行器”。

声明称，马赫利斯指出，此次收购将增强该公司在“海军电子战、自主系统、海军精确制导武器和海上任务系统”方面的现有能力。

埃尔比特公司高级副总裁兼埃尔比特海军系统总经理萨尔·库尔什在给《防务新闻》的一份声明中表示：“海上领域是埃尔比特系统公司的一个重要增长领域，我们将继续扩展我们的能力，以满足不断变化的作战需求。”

库尔什表示，此次收购新增的自主水下作战能力是对埃尔比特公司现有“海鸥”无人水面艇（USV）的有力补充。他还补充说，收购ISE将使埃尔比特公司能够为海军部队提供“一个完整的多域自主生态系统，将无人机、无人水面艇和自主水下航行器整合到一个统一的任务框架中”。

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这种武器化的目标是将作战人员的需求与研发、测试和评估周期联系起来。

埃尔比特公司的海事系统还包括“集成指挥控制（C2）套件、光电和声呐系统、通信和电子战技术”，周二的声明中写道。

Koursh解释说，“这使得客户能够将协调的空中、水面和水下自主资产部署为一个端到端的运营解决方案的一部分，同时还能提供根据客户特定需求量身定制的独立系统。”

这家以色列公司没有透露收购成本，但指出此次收购“以对埃尔比特系统公司而言并不重要的价格完成”。

埃尔比特系统公司（Elbit Systems）——以及以色列其他国防巨头——近年来销售额屡创新高，而此次公告正是在此背景下发布的。该公司在8月份发布的第二季度财报显示，其营收达23亿美元，订单积压额更是高达320亿美元，创历史新高。

近年来，埃尔比特系统公司也一直致力于拓展其在自主和无人领域的海军系统。该公司预计，收购ISE将增强其在水下情报、监视和侦察（ISR）、水雷对抗和反潜作战方面的能力。

过去十年间，以色列国防巨头埃尔比特系统公司一直在研发无人水面舰艇，并开发了12米和20米两种型号的“海鸥”（Seagull）无人水面舰艇。“海鸥”具备扫雷和反潜作战能力。2022年，“海鸥”作为美国中央司令部展示新型无人系统应用计划的一部分，参加了在波斯湾举行的“数字地平线”（Digital Horizo​​n）活动。在最近发布的一段视频中，埃尔比特系统公司展示了其无人水面舰艇在海上进行扫描和打击的研发进展。

埃尔比特系统公司在2025年的一份声明中表示：“埃尔比特系统公司取得的重要里程碑之一是成功地将无人水面艇部署到现役军事行动中。如今，数十艘埃尔比特系统公司的无人水面艇已在全球范围内服役，另有多艘正在生产中。这些实际部署展示了自主系统如何在保障海上安全的同时，确保人员安全。”

埃尔比特系统公司已将其海军解决方案业务拓展至加拿大以外的其他国家。今年2月，埃尔比特系统公司与德国TKMS公司宣布在以色列启用一条新的潜艇部件生产线。5月，双方签署了一份谅解备忘录，旨在建立“战略框架协议，探索在先进海军防御解决方案的开发、集成和商业化方面开展合作的机会”。

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