Israel’s navy has taken delivery of its largest-ever submarine, the INS Drakon, after the German-built vessel completed a weeks-long voyage from the Baltic Sea port city of Kiel to the Mediterranean port of Haifa, an Israeli military spokeswoman said on Thursday.
Built by German naval shipbuilder TKMS, the submarine is the sixth and final vessel in the Dolphin class. At more than 70 metres in length and equipped with 10 torpedo tubes, it is the largest submarine in the Israeli navy.
The submarine is the first major weapons system to be delivered under a multi-year plan to modernize and expand Israel’s navy.
Israel Defense Forces chief of general staff, Eyal Zamir, recently said the plan is intended to allow the navy to operate farther from Israel, for longer periods and with greater firepower. The INS Drakon would “symbolize more than anything else the transformation our navy has undergone in the past year,” Zamir said.
The submarine’s extended range is particularly significant amid Israel’s ongoing confrontation with Iran and wider maritime tensions in the Middle East.
Israel is also monitoring threats to shipping in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz linked to the war with Iran and the Iran-backed Houthi militia, according to Israeli media.
The delivery of German submarines to Israel is a key project for German-Israeli defence cooperation. The export is, however, also controversial, as experts believe retrofitting the sub to be able to fire nuclear weapons is possible. German arms exports to Israel are also under broader criticism because of the Israeli army’s campaign in the Gaza Strip.