Germany Sells Israel More Dolphin Subs
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In November 2005, reports surfaced that that Germany would sell Israel 2 AIP-equipped SSK Dolphin Class submarines. In 2006, the deal was finalized at a total of $1.27 billion, with the German government picking up 1/3 of the cost. The new boats are built at the Howaldtswerke-Deutche Werft AG (HDW) shipyard, in the Baltic Sea coastal city of Kiel, with deliveries originally scheduled to begin in 2010.
Now, reports indicate that an additional sale may be in the offing…
The Dolphin Class, and Its Improvements
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The Dolphins are quiet diesel-electric attack submarines that evolved from Germany’s famous and ubiquitous U209 Class. They can fire torpedoes and missiles from their 533mm torpedo tubes, perform underwater surveillance, and even launch combat swimmers via a wet and dry compartment.
Germany had already donated two Dolphin submarines to the Israeli navy after the Gulf War in the early 1990s. The first-of-class INS (Israeli Naval Ship) Dolphin was commissioned in 1999, while INS Leviathan was commissioned in 2000. The Israelis later bought a 3rd submarine for $350 million total, using a 50/50 shared cost arrangement with the German government. INS Tekuma (“revival, renewal”) also entered service in 2000.
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The Dolphin subs are reportedly designed for a crew of 35 and can support 10 passengers. They have a maximum speed of 20 knots (though as diesel subs, their endurance at speed is limited), and a maximum range of 4,500 km/ 2,700 miles. The submarines incorporate Atlas Elektronik’s ISUS 90-1 TCS for provides automatic sensor management, fire and weapon control, navigation and operation.
Dolphin submarines are versatile and heavily-armed, with a wet and dry compartment for deploying underwater swimmers, and no less than 10 bow torpedo tubes. Four of the tubes have a 650mm diameter, which can launch larger cruise missiles, but are also useful for launching commandos in swimmer delivery vehicles (SDVs). The other 6×533mm tubes can launch STN Atlas Elektronik’s DM2A3 torpedoes or anti-ship missiles (likely Boeing’s UGM-86 Harpoons). Underwater mines offer another option.
It is also rumored that Israel has tested a nuclear-capable version of its medium-range “Popeye Turbo” cruise missile design for deployability from the 650mm torpedo tubes in its Dolphin Class submarines. The 2002 Popeye Turbo launch test location off Sri Lanka suggested that the tests may have been performed in cooperation with India.
The rumors concerning Israel’s nuclear-capable cruise missiles had stalled additional Dolphin class sales in 2003, as had Israeli issues with the price tag. Israel’s Navy is widely considered to be last among the country’s services on the spending priority list, and so finds itself with less latitude than the Army and Air Force. The final $846 million/ $424 million Israeli-German deal for 2 more submarines addressed Israeli price concerns to some extent, provided a job creation benefit for the German government, and completed the 2nd major long-delayed arms sale that the Schroeder government solidified during its final month in office. [1]
The AIP system chosen for the 2 newest Dolphin boats was not specified. While HDW owns Kockums AB and its successful Stirling AIP system, it also has its own technology using Siemens PEM hydrogen fuel cells. This HDW system is used in the U212/214 Class, which the Dolphins resemble and which are also derived from the U209 1300/1400 subs.
Dec 23/10: Philadelphia’s The Bulletin relays a Der Tagesspiegel report that a delegation of 7 Israeli government cabinet ministers, headed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, held a joint cabinet meeting with their counterparts in Berlin, Germany. The sub deal was reportedly on the agenda, as was “Israel’s intention to station new German-made submarines in the Persian Gulf on a permanent basis.”
If true, this would seem to be about deploying Israel’s nuclear deterrent so that a retaliatory strike from the country’s short-to-medium range submarine-launched nuclear cruise missiles would be able to reach deep into Iran.
Jan 18/10: Defense News reports that Germany and Israel are in talks concerning a $1.45 billion naval deal that would add 1 Dolphin Class submarine, and 2 MEKO-derived frigates as the beginning of Israel’s next-generation frigate program. Current reports do not see a January 2010 agreement as likely, and Defense News claims that Israel is asking Germany to pay for 33% of the cost as a German industrial stimulus program, just as it did with Israel’s previous 2-sub order.
The MEKO ships would be Israel’s alternative to a very modified version of Lockheed Martin’s Littoral Combat Ship design, which Israel rejected due to its expected $700+ million cost. Even so, American components in the total naval package could reach up to $200 million. This is important because Israel can use US military aid dollars to buy them, instead of hard currency.
Jan 5/10: Israel’s Hebrew-language Ma’ariv newspaper quotes a “senior” Israeli source as saying that submarine-related negotiations with Germany are at an advanced stage, with a possible announcement during Chancellor Merkel’s visit to Israel later in January. Papers in the UAE and Brunei characterize it as revolving around an additional submarine, as opposed to payment or acceptance negotiations concerning the 2 submarines that were slated for delivery beginning in 2010.
If the deal is an additional sale, it would bring the total number of Dolphin Class submarine orders to 6. Brunei FM | UAE’s Press TV.
Dec 3/09: Acorn Energy subsidiary DSIT Solutions Ltd. announces the successful completion and delivery of Stage I of the Dolphin Submarine Tactical Trainer project for the Israeli Navy.
Work on the final Stage 2 is well underway, and expected to reach completion in 10 months. It will bring the submarine tactical trainer to a state of full representation of the entire spectrum of Dolphin submarine weapon systems, sensors, and command and control systems.
Sept 29/09: Reports surface that Israel has taken delivery, thanks to quotes from an anonymous Israeli military spokesman that “We have received two Dolphin-class submarines built in Germany.” Delivery was initially expected in 2010, and confirmation is iffy. Agence France Presse | Ennahar in Algeria | The News International in Pakistan.
June 21/07: Acorn Energy subsidiary DSIT Solutions in Givat Shmuel, Israel announces the $8 million Dolphin Submarine Tactical Trainer project, following an international tender. The trainer to be supplied by DSIT will simulate all sonar and weapons systems on board the Dolphin Class submarines, allowing the Dolphin tactical team of officers and operators to practice in an environment that duplicates that of an actual submarine at sea.
DSIT has worked with the Israeli Navy for the past 15 years on a range of advanced sonar and acoustic related projects, including sonar simulators, as well as shipboard consoles.
Aug 22/06: The Jerusalem Post reports a formal contract signing for 2 SSK Dolphin Class diesel-electric submarines. EADS is also a player in the deal following its acquisition of Atlas Elektronik. Unlike their 3 predecessors, these submarines would incorporate an AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) system in order to allow them to spend far more time submerged; most likely HDW’s system used on the U-212 Class.
The Jerusalem Post reports that the contract was signed after a long dispute over the price and financing, though the final cost in dollars ($1.27 billion) is slightly higher than the 2005 reports of EUR 1 billion/ $1.17 billion. A third of the deal (about $425 million) will still be financed by the German government, however, effectively offering a foreign aid subsidy to jobs and production at HDW.
The same article also noted that the Israeli Navy is also considering a Fixed Underwater Sonar System off its coast, in order to improve detection of foreign submarines.
Nov 2005: Defense-Aerospace relays reports from Der Spiegel and Focus that Germany will sell Israel 2 AIP-equipped SSK Dolphin Class submarines for Eur 1 billion, then about $1.17 billion.
Footnotes
fn1. Before the Israeli submarine contract was issued, the outgoing German government broke another logjam, and agreed to sell 298 surplus Leopard 2 battle tanks to Turkey.
- Naval Technology – SSK Dolphin Class attack submarines, Israel
- Israeli Weapons – SSK Dolphin Class attack submarine
- Kockums AB (an HDW subsidiary) – Stirling AIP system
- Dolphin Israel Submariners Association – The Dolphin Project. A more detailed assessment and set of information than the Naval-Technology page linked above.
