Dolphin class submarine
Encyclopedia
The Type 800 Dolphin class is a diesel-electric submarine developed and constructed by Howaldtswerke
-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW), Germany
for the Israeli Navy. It is based on the export-only German 209 class submarines
, but modified and reduced and is thus not seen as a member of the 209 family. The Dolphin boats are the most expensive single vehicle in the Israel Defense Forces
and are considered among the most sophisticated and capable conventional submarines in the world. The Dolphins replaced the aging Gal class submarine
s, which had served in the Israeli navy since the late 1970s.
The first two (Dolphin and Leviathan) were donated by Germany
, the third (Tekumah) was purchased by Israel
. The first two were delivered in 1997 and the third in 1999. During the first Gulf War
, German firms were accused of helping Iraq with its chemical weapons program, which led to protests in both Germany and Israel. To calm Israeli concerns, compensate Israel for economic losses
and keep German shipyards occupied, then Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl
approved an assistance package including the construction of two Dolphin submarines.
to purchase two additional submarines from its HDW subsidiary. The two new boats are an upgraded version of the older Dolphins, featuring an Air-independent propulsion
system, similar to the one used on German Type 212 submarine
s. On July 6, 2006, the Government of Germany decided to pay an advance to start the construction, about 170 million euro
s, planned for delivery in 2012. The two submarines cost, overall, around 1.3 billion euro, of up to one-third was paid by Germany. In 2010, both Israel and Germany denied having talks regarding the potential purchase of a sixth submarine. Yet in 2011, Israel ordered a sixth Dolphin submarine, for which it was reported to pay the full cost of $1 billion. However, in July 2011, during a meeting between German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière
and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense minister Ehud Barak
, an agreement was reached to subsidize 135 million euros of the 500-700 million USD cost of the sixth submarine.
Der Spiegel
reports that Germany has threatened to pull out of the deal over new Israeli settlement
expansion. However, Amos Gilad of the Israeli Ministry of Defense has denied the rumors and stated that the contract is continuing.
Jane's Defence Weekly
reports that the Dolphin class submarines are believed to be nuclear armed
, offering Israel a second strike
capability. The US Clinton administration refused an Israeli request in 2000 to purchase Tomahawk long range SLCM's. The Federation of American Scientists
and GlobalSecurity.org
report that the four larger 25.5 inches (648 mm) torpedo tubes are capable of launching nuclear-armed Popeye Turbo cruise missiles (a variant of the Popeye
standoff missile) with a range recorded by the US Navy of 1500 kilometres (932.1 mi). These larger torpedo tubes can also launch underwater swimmer delivery vehicle
s.
in June 2009, which Israeli media interpreted as a warning to Iran. The Israeli Navy decided in May 2010 to keep at least one submarine equipped with nuclear missiles there permanently as a deterrent in response to rumoured ballistic missiles move from Syria to Lebanon.
Howaldtswerke
Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Kiel. In 2009 it was the largest shipyard in Germany and has more than 2,400 employees. It has been part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems owned by ThyssenKrupp, since 2005...
-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for the Israeli Navy. It is based on the export-only German 209 class submarines
Type 209 submarine
The Type 209 is a class of diesel-electric attack submarine developed exclusively for export in the late 1960s by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft of Germany...
, but modified and reduced and is thus not seen as a member of the 209 family. The Dolphin boats are the most expensive single vehicle in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
and are considered among the most sophisticated and capable conventional submarines in the world. The Dolphins replaced the aging Gal class submarine
Gal class submarine
The Type 540 Gal Class submarine is a slightly modified variant of the German HDW Type 206 submarine class , modified for Israeli requirements. The Gal class submarines were built to Israeli specifications as the Vickers shipyards Type 540 at Barrow in Furness in the UK rather than Germany for...
s, which had served in the Israeli navy since the late 1970s.
Boats
- Dolphin – May 1998
- Leviathan (trans. "Whale") – 1999
- Tekumah (trans. "Revival") – 2000
The first two (Dolphin and Leviathan) were donated by Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the third (Tekumah) was purchased by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The first two were delivered in 1997 and the third in 1999. During the first Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, German firms were accused of helping Iraq with its chemical weapons program, which led to protests in both Germany and Israel. To calm Israeli concerns, compensate Israel for economic losses
Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany
The Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany was signed on September 10, 1952, and entered in force on March 27, 1953...
and keep German shipyards occupied, then Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
approved an assistance package including the construction of two Dolphin submarines.
Additional procurement
In 2006 Israel signed a contract with ThyssenKruppThyssenKrupp
ThyssenKrupp AG is a German multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Duisburg Essen, Germany. The corporation consists of 670 companies worldwide. While ThyssenKrupp is one of the world's largest steel producers, the company also provides components and systems for the automotive...
to purchase two additional submarines from its HDW subsidiary. The two new boats are an upgraded version of the older Dolphins, featuring an Air-independent propulsion
Air-independent propulsion
Air-independent propulsion is a term that encompasses technologies which allow a submarine to operate without the need to surface or use a snorkel to access atmospheric oxygen. The term usually excludes the use of nuclear power, and describes augmenting or replacing the diesel-electric propulsion...
system, similar to the one used on German Type 212 submarine
Type 212 submarine
The German Type 212 class, also Italian Todaro class, is a highly advanced design of non-nuclear submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG and Fincantieri S.p.a. for the German and Italian Navy. It features diesel propulsion and an additional air-independent propulsion system using...
s. On July 6, 2006, the Government of Germany decided to pay an advance to start the construction, about 170 million euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s, planned for delivery in 2012. The two submarines cost, overall, around 1.3 billion euro, of up to one-third was paid by Germany. In 2010, both Israel and Germany denied having talks regarding the potential purchase of a sixth submarine. Yet in 2011, Israel ordered a sixth Dolphin submarine, for which it was reported to pay the full cost of $1 billion. However, in July 2011, during a meeting between German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière
Thomas de Maizière
Karl Ernst Thomas de Maizière is a German politician , currently serving as the Minister of Defence in the Second Cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel....
and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense minister Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
, an agreement was reached to subsidize 135 million euros of the 500-700 million USD cost of the sixth submarine.
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
reports that Germany has threatened to pull out of the deal over new Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
expansion. However, Amos Gilad of the Israeli Ministry of Defense has denied the rumors and stated that the contract is continuing.
Armament
Each submarine is armed with 6 x 21 inches (533 mm) torpedo tubes, which are also capable of firing Sub-Harpoon missiles, and 4 x 25.5 inches (648 mm) torpedo tubes. The submarines are also able to deploy mines.Jane's Defence Weekly
Jane's Defence Weekly
Jane's Defence Weekly is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, edited by Peter Felstead. It is one of a number of military-related publications named after John F. T. Jane, an Englishman who first published Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships in 1898...
reports that the Dolphin class submarines are believed to be nuclear armed
Nuclear weapons and Israel
Israel is widely believed to be the sixth country in the world to have developed nuclear weapons and to be one of four nuclear-armed countries not recognized as a Nuclear Weapons State by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty , the others being India, Pakistan and North Korea...
, offering Israel a second strike
Second strike
In nuclear strategy, a second strike capability is a country's assured ability to respond to a nuclear attack with powerful nuclear retaliation against the attacker...
capability. The US Clinton administration refused an Israeli request in 2000 to purchase Tomahawk long range SLCM's. The Federation of American Scientists
Federation of American Scientists
The Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, 501 organization intent on using science and scientific analysis to attempt make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs...
and GlobalSecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
report that the four larger 25.5 inches (648 mm) torpedo tubes are capable of launching nuclear-armed Popeye Turbo cruise missiles (a variant of the Popeye
AGM-142 Have Nap
The Popeye is an air to ground missile developed and in use by Israel, of which several types have been developed for Israeli and export users. A substantially modified long range cruise missile variant of the Popeye Turbo is believed to be used to arm the Israeli submarine based nuclear forces...
standoff missile) with a range recorded by the US Navy of 1500 kilometres (932.1 mi). These larger torpedo tubes can also launch underwater swimmer delivery vehicle
Swimmer Delivery Vehicle
Swimmer Delivery Vehicles are midget submersibles designed to transport frogmen from a combat swimmer unit or naval Special Forces underwater, over long distances. SDVs carry a pilot, co-pilot, and combat swimmer team and their equipment, to and from maritime mission objectives on land or at sea...
s.
Deployment
According to news reports the submarines are normally based in the Mediterranean. One Dolphin was sent to the Red SeaRed Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
in June 2009, which Israeli media interpreted as a warning to Iran. The Israeli Navy decided in May 2010 to keep at least one submarine equipped with nuclear missiles there permanently as a deterrent in response to rumoured ballistic missiles move from Syria to Lebanon.
External links
- Israeli submarine Dolphin
- FAS: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/sub/
- Naval Technology: http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/dolphin/