Israel buying submarines for second strike nuke capability
In an exclusive report in Wednesday morning's Jerusalem Post, it is stated that Israel is about to buy two Dolphin class German submarines that will give it a second strike nuclear capability. The contract with Germany was signed last month:The submarines will be assembled in Germany and provided with a propulsion system allowing them to remain underwater for far longer than the submarines currently in the Israel Navy's fleet.Israel will purchase the two submarines, manufactured by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG, for $1.27 billion, a third of which will be financed by the German government.
According to sources close to the deal, the submarines will be operational in the near future.
The Post has also learned that the navy is considering installing a Fixed Underwater Sonar System (FUSS) off the coast to detect foreign submarines.
According to the Post, Israel already has three Dolphin class submarines, two of which were donated by Germany after the first Gulf War, and the cost of the third of which was split by Israel and Germany. What's different about these new submarines is the propulsion system:
The new submarines - called the U212 - will be fitted with a new German technology in which the propulsion system combines a conventional diesel lead-acid battery system and an air-independent propulsion system used for slow, silent cruising, with a fuel cell equipped with oxygen and hydrogen storage.Read the whole thing.
The submarines will also incorporate specifications gleaned from Israeli experience. The Dolphins currently in the navy's fleet were tailor-made for Israel's needs and reportedly have considerable operational capability. They are designed for a crew of 35 and can support 10 passengers. They have a maximum speed of 20 knots, a range of 4,500 kilometers and, according to Jane's Defense Weekly, the capability to launch cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads.
"With the new German technology," an official close to the deal said, "the new submarines will be able to remain submerged for much, much longer than the older Dolphin models."
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:02 AM
1 Comments:
It is interesting that Germany would sell a platform intended to launch nuclear weapons. Is this "holocaust guilt"? Are they just interested in making money, and have no trouble about selling the submarines because they are not armed with nuclear weapons by Germany so it's easy to just look the other way? Or do the Germans recognize the actual security needs of Israel are just and that Israel is a responsible nation?
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