German TKMS handed over the INS Drakon submarine to Israel

Israeli Defense Force Marine Corps took over an INS submarine from TKMS Dracon. It is the sixth unit of the Dolphin family, and at the same time the third and last ship of modified Dolphin AIP type.

The transfer took place on 22 July on the site of the shipyards in Kiel, without media participation and official celebration. Next day INS Dracon He first left quay flying the Israeli flag by going to the waters of the Gulf of Kilon.

Most Modified Dolphin

INS Dracon distinctly different from the other two Dolphin AIP ships, or INS Tanin and INS Rahav, transmitted to Israel in 2014 and 2016. It is approximately 73 metres long, while its predecessors measure 68.6 metres.

The most characteristic element of the ship is the significantly extended housing of the kiosk, covering undisclosed devices. According to Tomasz Grotnik, they may be related to the transport of equipment for special forces, unmanned submarines or additional weapons. The scope of the changes makes INS Dracon is in practice the individual and technological design of the predecessor ordered by Israel vessels of the new type Dakar.

The unit received a conventional drive supplemented by an AIP based on fuel cells. It allows you to remain immersed longer without the need to use snoring, which reduces the risk of detection of the ship.

Unconfirmed vertical launchers

The enlarged housing of the kiosk for several years has sparked speculation about the installation of vertical missile launchers. They would be used to launch maneuvering or ballistic missiles, including weapons capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Neither Israel nor TKMS However, they did not confirm that the ship was equipped with such a launcher. The enlarged kiosk section can also be used for the transport of unmanned submarines, reconnaissance equipment or means for special divisions.

Dolphin family ships have ten forward torpedo launchers – six caliber 533 mm and four caliber 650 mm. Larger caliber launchers may also be used to launch maneuvering missiles and release submarines or tankers with equipment designed for special forces.

Israeli Navyjedna does not reveal the configuration of its submarines. However, it has been assumed for years that they can carry maneuvering missiles with nuclear warheads, providing the State with the possibility of retaliating from the sea. This remains the assessment of specialists, not the officially confirmed ability.

Germany co-finances Israeli ships

INS Dracon closes the construction program for six Israeli Dolphin family ships. They were all created in Kilonia, and part of their purchase costs were covered by the Federal Republic of Germany. The first two ships were financed entirely by Berlin, with the subsequent German government covering part of the contract value.

German support for Israel cannot be separated from the responsibility for the extermination of the Jews. It was Germany who murdered about six million European Jews during World War II. Already in 1952, the Federal Republic of Germany and Israel concluded a compensation agreement, which became the beginning of the construction of cooperation between the two countries.

INS transmission Dracon But it shows something else. The memory of even the greatest crimes does not necessarily mean giving up cooperation when it is required by national security. Israel has not forgotten the Holocaust, and Germany has not been released from responsibility for the crimes committed. However, both countries were able to put aside what would prevent their current interests.

This is an important lesson for other countries as well. A mature policy is not about erasing history or using it as an obstacle to any agreement. Countries that effectively care for their safety retain the memory of the past, but make decisions primarily on the basis of their own particular interests.