Dolphin class
 The Dolphin in Haifa in April 2010
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Coordinates: 32 ° 49 ′ 33 ″ N , 34 ° 59 ′ 50 ″ E
The Dolphin class is an Israeli submarine class that the Ingenieurkontor Lübeck , according to Israeli specifications from the German submarine classes 209 and 212 A was developed. A total of six boats in this class were built and tested from 1992 to 2020 by HDW in Kiel , today part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems , in cooperation with the Nordseewerke in Emden . The first three units have a diesel-electric drive , all the following - built from 2007 - have an additional fuel cell drive . Presumably the boats are equipped with cruise missiles capable of nuclear weapons . They are the most expensive individual weapon systems used by the Israeli military.
In November 2018, the commander of the Israeli Navy , Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit , announced that after the sixth submarine, the class will now be called Dakar - after the Israeli submarine of the same name, INS Dakar , which sank in the Mediterranean Sea in January 1968 . The sixth boat itself, however, will no longer be called Dakar - as originally planned - but Drakon (dragon). Relatives of the seafarers who died on the INS Dakar had resisted the fact that another submarine would bear this name. The first boat in the Dakar class will not be called Dakar either.
history
First construction lot
As early as the 1950s, the German federal government approved the delivery of submarines to Israel in principle, even though the Federal Republic of Germany generally does not deliver weapons to crisis regions outside of NATO . The cause of this exception is the special German-Israeli relationship based on Germany's historical responsibility ; the Federal Republic deviates from its export rules out of responsibility for Israel's security. The negotiations dragged on until the end of the 1980s, not least because of unanswered financing issues, so that the Gal class was built for Israel in Great Britain in the 1970s .
When it became known during the Second Gulf War that German companies had helped Iraq to produce chemical weapons and to increase the range of its R-17 rockets, and Iraq fired forty of these rockets at Israel, the idea that German poison gas was once again threatening Jewish life could be caused, both in Israel and in Germany, to considerable dismay, also when it turned out that the missiles were only conventionally armed. Israel refrained from retaliatory strikes against Iraq, as this would have endangered the coalition against Saddam Hussein, which also includes Arab states . In return, the German government promised to deliver the long-promised submarines, especially since Russia had delivered three modern Project 877 submarines to Iran in 1993 . In view of the German participation in the Iraqi poison gas and missile program, the first two Dolphin boats were a gift from Germany to Israel, while the two countries each paid half for the third boat. These three units each cost around 225 million euros.
With the financial support of submarine exports to Israel, the German shipyard industry, which was suffering from considerable difficulties, was subsidized in a hidden way in order to secure jobs in the structurally weak coastal region. The military shipbuilding industry was to be reorganized through a merger, especially against competition from France, resistance from the workforce was to be reduced by export orders to ensure capacity utilization. In addition, some technical components for the planned type 212 A or its export version type 214 were tested during the construction of the first three boats . There had already been a similar development in the construction of speedboats: the Franco-German Tiger class arose from the Sa'ar-1 class ships constructed in Germany . While only three of the twenty-seven submarine types 212 A and 214 sold abroad were actually laid down in Germany, all Dolphins were and will be built there.
Second construction lot
In November 2005, the federal government of Gerhard Schröder approved the sale of two further units of the new second construction lot with an additional fuel cell drive, as well as the option of another boat, as one of its last official acts. After the export of this sixth submarine was approved in 2006, the final order was placed in 2011.
According to various sources, the price of the three units built later fluctuates between 400 and 550 million euros. The price increase is mainly due to the technically more complex fuel cell drive, which made it necessary to lengthen the fuselage by around ten meters. For these ships, Germany paid a third of the purchase price, but a maximum of 333 million euros for the fourth and fifth boat combined. The total volume of the orders is just under 2.4 billion euros. In total, they were directly subsidized by Germany with 900 million euros. In addition, the Federal Republic of Israel acquired drones and other military technology for around 135 million euros, with which Israel refinanced part of the purchase price for the sixth boat.
Third construction lot
Israel plans to replace the units from the first batch from 2027 with three new boats built by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems . A corresponding agreement in principle with Germany was signed on October 26, 2016. These three boats should cost 1.5 billion euros (according to other information 1.2 billion euros). The Federal Ministry of Economics itself puts the cost of each Dolphin II boat at 600 million euros. The Federal Republic of Germany bears a third of the construction costs, but only up to an amount of 540 million euros for all three boats.
The decision is controversial in Israel not least because Prime Minister Netanyahu pushed it through against opposition from the Ministry of Defense. In this context, allegations of corruption are being raised against Netanyahu because Netanyahu's cousin and private legal advisor David Schimron also represented the Israeli representative of Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems as a lawyer. The Israeli attorney general opened an investigation against Eliezer Marom, former major general in the Israeli Navy. Prime Minister Netanyahu is currently not under suspicion himself. After the sale of the submarines was initially postponed indefinitely, the German government announced on October 20, 2017 that it had now approved the sale under strict conditions. Only when the Israeli public prosecutor's office has stopped all investigations, the boats may be extradited.
Technology and armament
First construction lot
The boats are based on the type 209 , but have a larger pressure hull and are therefore no longer included in this class. They are the predecessor of the German type 212 A, which has a slightly lower displacement and standard fuel cell drive. The Israeli companies Elisra, Elbit and Israel Military Industries were involved in the planning and production.
The boats are equipped with six torpedo tubes in the international standard caliber 533 mm. They also have four torpedo tubes with a caliber of 650 mm. A use of these tubes for torpedoes in the Israeli Navy appears unlikely, since such large tubes have so far only been used by the Russian Navy for Type 65 torpedoes and RK-7 missiles.
It is assumed that these tubes can be used to launch nuclear cruise missiles of a type that has not been precisely known until now. In 2003 and 2012, Der Spiegel reported that Israel had converted its submarines into nuclear weapons carriers. There is no official confirmation from the Israeli side. Israel did not sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and in 2010 also opposed a non-binding IAEA resolution calling on it to sign the treaty and grant inspectors access to its nuclear facilities. The Popeye Turbo , a modified Harpoon or self-developed missiles are probably used on the Dolphins. Since the relatively short range of these original missiles of a few hundred kilometers hardly allows a strategic deterrent potential even for countries further away, it is assumed that Israel has increased the range of the missiles.
Second and third construction lot
The three boats of the second construction lot underwent some technical changes and are therefore sometimes referred to as Dolphin II class or Dolphin AIP ( Air-independent propulsion ). With a length of 68.6 m, they are longer than the older boats with 57.3 m. They also have a fuel cell drive , which should enable a range of at least 15,000 nautical miles. It is reported about the three boats of the third construction lot that, like their predecessors , they should have torpedo tubes suitable for launching cruise missiles and fuel cell propulsion.
According to Otfried Nassauer , head of the Berlin Information Center for Transatlantic Security , the fuel cell drive gives Israel more flexible military options for action against Iran, which is considered to be Israel's greatest threat because it operates its own nuclear program and which denies Israel's right to exist . Nassauer sees the delivery as a contradiction to the political principles of the federal government. On the other hand, a long continuity of previous German governments can be seen, for which it is considered a raison d'etre that the federal government also supplies war weapons such as submarines as an expression of historical responsibility for Israel.
Stationing and operational area
The boats have Haifa as their home port and form the floating units of the 7th Flotilla there. Their primary area of operation is the eastern Mediterranean. Here they form the presumed nuclear second strike capacity of Israel in an attack. The distance to Tehran from there is around 1500 km, which experts say the cruise missiles stationed on board can cover without any problems.
Press reports that a submarine with atomic cruise missiles is constantly in the Persian Gulf in order to take on a deterrent role against Iran are doubted in specialist circles, as the regular and free use of the Suez Canal would be a prerequisite for this. Only two passages of the canal by dolphin boats are documented, but they were aimed at other destinations. By its own admission, Israel does not intend to station the submarines in the Eilat naval base on the Red Sea.
According to inconsistent reports by the Sudanese media, there were Israeli submarine activities off the Sudanese coast during two IAF air strikes in November and December 2011, respectively, against the transport of weapons for the Gaza Strip through Sudan, with the Sudanese military denying the incidents.
crew
The crews consist of 33 (first construction lot) or 50 men (maximum, second construction lot). Although the IDF has allowed women in almost all of its troops for many years, they are denied service on submarines, as the extreme confinement on board inevitably and constantly leads to physical contact with others. In addition, there are only limited sanitary facilities and no retreat for female crew members. Until 2014, service for women was also prohibited on the largely identical German submarines, until the first female watch officer on U31 took up his duties.
units
| Surname | translation | Construction lot | Keel laying | Launch | Commissioning | status | costs | German grant (in%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INS Dolphin | Dolphin | 1. | February 1992 | April 12, 1996 | March 29, 1999 | active | around 225 million euros | 100 |
| INS Leviathan | Sea monsters | 1. | 1993? | April 25, 1997 | June 29, 1999 | active | around 225 million euros | 100 |
| INS Tekuma | revival | 1. | 1994? | July 11, 1998 | July 25, 2000 | active | around 225 million euros | 50 |
| INS Tanin | crocodile | 2. | 2007 | May 2012 | June 30, 2014 | active | around 600 million euros | 33 |
| INS Rahav | Enormous | 2. | 2008 | April 29, 2013 | January 13, 2016 | active | around 600 million euros | 33 |
| INS Drakon | Dragon | 2. | 2012 | 2017 | ≈ 2020 | testing | around 600 million euros | 33 |
| Surname | translation | Construction lot | Keel laying | Launch | Commissioning | status | costs | German grant (in%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INS? | 3. | 2020? | planned: 2027 | planned | ≈ 600 million euros | 33 (max. 180 million) | ||
| INS? | 3. | planned | ≈ 600 million euros | 33 (max. 180 million) | ||||
| INS? | 3. | planned | ≈ 600 million euros | 33 (max. 180 million) |
See also
Web links
- Dolphin class submarines at the Federation of American Scientists (2000)
- Dolphin on naval-technology.com
- Otfried Nassauer, Christopher Steinmetz: More German Nuclear Weapons Carriers for Israel? - The Dolphin submarines (extensive presentation on the website of the Berlin Information Center for Transatlantic Security , also the main source)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jennifer Bligh: In a Boat. In: Jüdische Allgemeine . Central Council of Jews in Germany , January 12, 2010, accessed on August 17, 2020 .
- ↑ Robert Beckhusen: Israel's Quiet Doomsday Submarines Almost Are Ready. In: medium.com. Medium Corporation, August 17, 2014, accessed August 17, 2020 .
- ^ SSK Dolphin Class Submarine. In: naval-technology.com. Verdict Media Limited, August 17, 2014, accessed August 17, 2020 .
- ^ A b Gil Yaron : Dispute over the German-Israeli submarine deal. In: The world . Axel Springer SE , October 21, 2016, accessed on August 17, 2020 .
- ↑ a b IDF’s New Submarine Model to be Named after Lost INS Dakar
- ↑ a b Israel changes name of sixth Dolphin submarine
- ↑ Otfried Nassauer & Christopher Steinmetz: Further German Nuclear Weapons Carriers for Israel? - The Dolphin submarines . In: BITS . Berlin Information Center for Transatlantic Security , September 10, 2004; Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ Otfried Nassauer: Israel wants money for German warships . In: Der Tagesspiegel . January 17, 2012, accessed July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Daniel Wiese: Easter March against Israel . In: taz . March 20, 2012, accessed July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Robin Alexander, Clemens Wergin: This is how Chancellor Merkel's submarine deal with Israel went. In: The world . Axel Springer SE , December 4, 2011, accessed July 9, 2012.
- ^ Otfried Nassauer, Christopher Steinmetz: Armaments cooperation between Germany and Israel. In: BITS . Berlin Information Center for Transatlantic Security , September 2003, accessed on July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Six Dolphin submarines for deterring Israel (PDF; 143 kB) In: BITS . Berlin Information Center for Transatlantic Security , December 2011, accessed on July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Aram Babilon :: In dry books: The delivery of new German-made submarines to Israel is a done deal. In: Jewish newspaper . Werner Media Group, January 2012, archived from the original on June 26, 2012 ; accessed on August 17, 2020 .
- ↑ A super submarine for Israel from Kiel. In: Schenefelder Tageblatt . February 21, 2012, accessed April 13, 2012.
- ↑ Israel wants money for German warships. In: Der Tagesspiegel . January 17, 2010, accessed July 9, 2012.
- ^ Israeli police investigate the purchase of German submarines by Israel. In: welt.de. Axel Springer SE , November 23, 2016, accessed on November 24, 2016 . }
- ↑ Israel's attorney general investigates the purchase of German submarines. In: Spiegel Online . Der Spiegel GmbH & Co. KG, November 24, 2016, accessed on November 24, 2016 .
- ^ Corruption allegation in Israel: Netanyahu defends submarine deal with Germany. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH, November 20, 2016, accessed on August 17, 2020 .
- ↑ Berlin supplies Israel with further submarines. In: NTV . June 30, 2017.
- ^ Dolphins for Israel: a torpedo called Ganor. In: defensechronicles.eu. April 17, 2017, accessed on August 17, 2020 .
- ↑ Sabine Brandes: Suspicion of nepotism . In: Jüdische Allgemeine . Central Council of Jews in Germany , December 1, 2016, accessed on August 17, 2020.
- ^ Corruption allegation in Israel: Netanyahu defends submarine deal with Germany. In: faz.net. November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2016 .
- ^ Gil Yaron: Israel: Netanyahu's German submarine affair. In: The world . Axel Springer SE , November 20, 2016, accessed on November 21, 2016 .
- ↑ Peter Kapern: Armaments in Israel - German submarines bring Netanyahu under pressure. In: deutschlandfunk.de. November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016 .
- ↑ Netanyahu tries to steer clear of submarine scandal . In: Al-Monitor . July 12, 2017 ( al-monitor.com [accessed August 9, 2017]). Netanyahu tries to steer clear of submarine scandal ( Memento of the original from August 9, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Submarine contract between Germany and Israel postponed. In: israelnetz.com. July 18, 2017, accessed August 17, 2020 .
- ^ Israel: Federal government approves submarine sale. In: Spiegel Online . Der Spiegel GmbH & Co. KG, October 20, 2017, accessed on June 9, 2018 .
- ↑ Silke Hasselmann: Berlin is sticking to the submarine deal with Israel. In: tagesschau.de . ARD , July 30, 2010, archived from the original on October 20, 2009 ; Retrieved August 16, 2012 .
- ^ Popeye Turbo. Israel Special Weapons. In: fas.org. June 20, 2000, accessed April 13, 2015 .
- ↑ 4. ПРОТИВОЛОДОЧНЫЕ РАКЕТНЫЕ КОМЛЕКСЫ (ПЛРК). Военный паритет. In: militaryparitet.com. Retrieved April 13, 2015 (Russian, Soviet Union and Russian anti-submarine missiles).
- ↑ Israel equips submarines from Germany with nuclear weapons. In: Spiegel Online . Der Spiegel GmbH & Co. KG, June 3, 2012, accessed on July 9, 2012.
- ^ Israel - German submarines converted into nuclear weapons carriers. In: Spiegel Online . Der Spiegel GmbH & Co. KG, October 11, 2003, accessed July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Israel should open nuclear facilities for UN controls. In: Focus online . September 18, 2009, accessed July 9, 2012.
- ^ Otfried Nassauer, Christopher Steinmetz: Armaments cooperation between Germany and Israel. Exports of complete weapons systems to Israel in the 1990s. In: BITS. Berlin Information Center for Transatlantic Security , September 2003, accessed on April 13, 2015 .
- ^ Otfried Nassauer: Further German nuclear weapon carriers for Israel? The Dolphin Submarines. In: BITS. Berlin Information Center for Transatlantic Security , October 14, 2003, accessed on April 13, 2015 .
- ^ Popeye Turbo. Israel Special Weapons. In: globalsecurity.org. Retrieved April 13, 2015 .
- ↑ Three new Dolphin II class submarines . ( Memento of April 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) In: GlobalDefence . July 9, 2012.
- ↑ intercepts.defensenews.com
- ↑ Dolphin is capable of nuclear weapons: Berlin supplies Israel with more submarines. In: n-tv . June 30, 2017.
- ↑ Otfried Nassauer: Six Dolphin Submarines for Israel's Deterrent. (PDF; 140 kB) In: BITS . Berlin Information Center for Transatlantic Security , December 2011, accessed on July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Historical responsibility trumps political principles. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . Süddeutsche Zeitung GmbH, June 4, 2012, accessed on July 9, 2012.
- ^ Israel Buys 2 Nuclear-Capable Submarines
- ^ Israel seeks sixth Dolphin in light of Iranian 'threat'. In: Jane’s . Jane's Information Group Ltd., October 1, 2009, archived from the original on October 4, 2009 ; accessed on August 17, 2020 (English).
- ↑ Press release from the Sunday Times. In: The Times . May 30, 2010, accessed February 17, 2011.
- ^ Israel Won't Base Submarines in Red Sea, Official Says. In: Haaretz . Haaretz Group, July 5, 2009, accessed July 9, 2012 (English, excerpt).
- ^ Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel: Reports in Sudan: Israel Struck Two Weapons Convoys in Past Month. In: Haaretz . Haaretz Group, December 25, 2011 (English, excerpt).
- ↑ Amos Harel: The Beast: On Board IDF's Most Advanced and Expensive War Machine. In: Haaretz . Haaretz Group, September 9, 2016, accessed on August 17, 2020 (English, excerpt).
- ↑ Udo Hallstein: The first woman on a submarine bridge. In: shz.de . Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag , March 7, 2014, accessed on August 17, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e f Dolphin class . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ( MS Word ) Warships Forecast . In: dfeeler.com . Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ U-boat INS Tekuma. (No longer available online.) In: wiedling.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; accessed on April 13, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Submarine christening under the strictest safety precautions . ( Memento of the original from May 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Kiel News . May 3, 2012, Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Submarine delivery to Israel . ( Memento of the original from July 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Kiel News . June 30, 2014, accessed July 9, 2014.
- ↑ Lorenz Hemicker: Germany delivers another submarine to Israel. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH, April 10, 2015, accessed on August 17, 2020.
- ↑ New submarine “Rahav” in operation. In: israelnetz.com. January 13, 2016, archived from the original on January 13, 2016 ; accessed on January 13, 2016 .
