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Israel Seeks More Submarines for 'Strategic Depth'
Thu January 1, 2004 11:56 PM ET

(Page 1 of 3)

By Dan Williams

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - For years they cruised the shores of Tripoli, silent and unseen in the deep, radars monitoring inland munitions plants and torpedo tubes armed for combat.

And though Israel's submariners are breathing easier since Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi vowed to stop developing weapons of mass destruction this month, Israeli top brass predict an even greater role for the fleet in a changing Middle East.

Above all is the idea that Israel, widely believed to have nuclear weapons, would use the sea for striking back in the event -- however unlikely -- that bases on land are overrun in a war.

Though Iran says it has no hostile designs, Tehran's atomic program heads the list of Israeli fears. Navy chief Adm. Yedidiya Ya'ari said submarines were a crucial deterrent.

"The ultimate role of the submarine is to linger for extended periods, almost anywhere it needs to be, undetected," he told Reuters, declining to comment on foreign analysts' assessments that the vessels carry nuclear-tipped missiles.

"It has a range of functions including hitting the enemy from where he least expects it. You can understand that as you wish," he said.

Iranian and Syrian officials, who have described Israel's submarine fleet as an offensive non-conventional capability that threatens regional stability, were not available for comment.

EXPANSION PLANS

Three Dolphin-class submarines are the vanguard of a navy that otherwise acts primarily as Israel's coast guard, cutting off would-be infiltrators from Lebanon and Palestinian-run Gaza.

According to security sources, the German-made Dolphins go as far as North Africa and the Gulf to monitor enemy capabilities. Analysts believe they carry nuclear missiles for any "second-strike" retaliation.

The Israeli navy is unmatched by any Middle East foe's -- a fact brought home in 2001 when frogmen seized a Gaza-bound ship carrying arms in the Red Sea and towed it to Eilat instead.

TROUBLE IN THE HOLY LAND
Israel steps up submarine acquisition
War vessels capable of launching nuclear-tipped cruise missiles

By Jon E. Dougherty
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

The Israeli government has elected to speed up delivery of a third submarine purchased from Germany in an effort to bolster its deterrent power and to win a larger regional war, if necessary.

The Tekuma -- the last of three German-built Dolphin-class diesel-electric submarines purchased by Israel -- has been hastily delivered to the Israeli navy for "security reasons," according to a senior military source who spoke Tuesday on Israel Radio.

Israeli navy Dolphin-class submarine undergoing sea trials.

The sub, which has been kept in Germany while the Israeli naval crew underwent training, may also be part of a plan by the Jewish state to complete a land-attack capability the military reportedly has been developing for months.

According to earlier reports in the Jewish and Western press, Israel is engineering its submarines to become capable of launching conventional or nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, which would give the Israel Defense Force a multi-tiered, land-attack capability against an enemy, similar to one developed years ago by the United States and Russia.

Concerned over an escalation in the current cycle of Mideast violence, Israeli military and government officials are making attempts to better prepare the Jewish state for a wider conflict -- which many feel is possible the longer violence in the region continues.

If a wider regional conflict somehow manages to damage Israel's land-based or air-based nuclear strike capability, the navy wants to be able to launch such weapons from the sea, since potential Arab enemies don't have the ability at the moment to detect and destroy an Israeli submarine fleet.

In June, reports surfaced that the Israeli navy was testing a land-attack submarine cruise missile capability off the coast of Sri Lanka. Israeli officials at the time denied the reports, which said sub crews had successfully launched a pair of cruise missiles.

Reports said Israel has developed two cruise missiles -- the Popeye Turbo, with a range of 200 kilometers, and the longer-range Delilah, which reportedly can hit targets up to 400 kilometers. The missiles allegedly tested in June had a reported range of 1,500 miles, the Jerusalem Post said.

The three state-of-the-art, 1,750-ton Dolphin subs reportedly cost about $440 million each, though Berlin heavily subsidized the construction project.

Germany decided to help underwrite the project for Israel because the Jewish state, during the 1991 Gulf War, was struck with Iraqi missiles containing warheads and components manufactured by Germany.

Under a plan developed by then-German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Berlin paid for a sizeable portion of the first two subs; Israel financed the third, the Tekuma.

The new subs will reportedly replace Israel's three aging German submarines, which entered service in 1977. The vessels can accommodate a crew of 35 for more than one month of continuous operations.

The Dolphin class is designed for interdiction, surveillance and special-forces operations and is designed to travel at maximum speeds of 20 knots with a cruising range of 4,500 nautical miles. The vessel has 10 torpedo tubes and is capable of launching Harpoon missiles, according to Stratfor.com.

The only competition Israel has in the region from other submarine forces comes from Syria and Egypt. Syria's three Soviet-era Romeo subs are not operational; Egypt -- which is diplomatically siding with Israel -- has four Romeos that underwent upgrades in 1996, but are reportedly no match for the Dolphins.

Also, U.S. attack submarines -- the world's most advanced -- patrol the waters of the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean.

Iranian Kilo-class submarine.

Iran also has a submarine capability. According to published reports, Iran has purchased three Kilo-class submarines from Russia. Last week, U.S. press sources reported that a weapons deal struck between Russia and Iran in 1995 -- and allegedly kept secret from Congress by Vice President Al Gore and then-Russian Foreign Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin -- included modern Russian subs and torpedoes for Iranian subs.

"Israel is clearly concerned that the current crisis still has potential to pull in surrounding Arab nations and blow up into a regional war," Stratfor.com analysts said. "Israeli military doctrine has always focused on immediate threats from its Arab neighbors, strong deterrence and a first-strike capability. Israel may be hoping its increased readiness will further deter Arab nations from involving themselves in a larger war."

Jon E. Dougherty is a staff reporter and columnist for WorldNetDaily.

Israeli submarine fleet 'can now launch nuclear weapons'
By David Blair in Jerusalem
(Filed: 13/10/2003)

Israel has acquired the capability of launching a nuclear strike from submarines, according to reports yesterday. This puts it among the handful of countries able to deliver atomic weapons from land, sea and air.


	An Israeli Dolphin class submarine

With American help, Israeli technicians have modified US-supplied cruise missiles to carry nuclear warheads. Commentators believe that the disclosure, in the Los Angeles Times, is intended as a message to Iran about the risks of its nuclear ambitions.

Iran has been given until the end of this month to allow international inspectors unfettered access to its nuclear facilities.

Both America and Israel believe that Iran is close to acquiring nuclear weapons. This would break Israel's nuclear monopoly in the Middle East and change the strategic balance of the region.

America has supplied Israel with Harpoon sea-launched cruise missiles - originally with conventional warheads - for deployment on three Dolphin class submarines. The diesel-electric submarines were bought from Germany four years ago.

The Israeli government does not comment on its nuclear capacity. But experts agree that Israel has the world's sixth largest nuclear arsenal with some 200 warheads, compared with Britain's 185.

Israeli commentators have no doubt that the latest reports are credible and cite the priorities of Mossad, the foreign intelligence agency.

"Heading off Iran's attempt to attain nuclear capability is one of Mossad's main missions," the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. A military commentator said he thought the Los Angeles Times report "made sense".

Israel's secret effort to acquire a bomb began in 1956 when France supplied a nuclear reactor and technical help. By 1968 Israel had a nuclear capability.

Until now, the country has relied on its Jericho II missiles, with a range of 930 miles, and American-supplied F-15 bombers, which can hit targets 2,000 miles away.

Now, even if a pre-emptive strike destroyed its land and air systems, Israel could hit back with nuclear weapons launched from its submarines.

• Israeli forces pulled back from the Rafah refugee camp yesterday after killing eight Palestinians in the heaviest raid in the Gaza Strip for six months. Two of the dead were boys aged eight and 12. Israel said its forces destroyed three tunnels used for smuggling weapons.

Dolphin Submarines

Three Dolphin class submarines are currently being built in German shipyards for the Israel Navy. Modern submarines with the most advanced sailing and combat systems in the world, they combine extensive sophistication with very easy operation. The first two submarines are already in Israel; and the third is expected within a few months. The purpose of these submarines is to enable the Israel Navy to meet all the tasks faced in the Mediterranean Sea in the 21st century. The crews of the submarines started training in 1994, and have participated in the building process as well as in the acceptance procedures for weapon systems.