A Look At Israel's Submarine Fleet

Leviathan and a second Israeli navy submarine are seen during a naval manoeuvre in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Haifa, northern Israel June 9, 2021. Picture taken June 9, 2021. REUTERS/Amir Cohen 

Reuters: Exclusive: In the belly of the whale: Israeli sub simulates strike 

INS LEVIATHAN, Mediterranean Sea (Reuters) - When fighting erupted in Gaza last month and rockets rained on Israel, the men operating its navy submarine Leviathan knew next to nothing. 

Deep beneath the Mediterranean sea, they were relayed only brief bulletins so as not to be distracted from their mission. 

"We are by definition clandestine and, to a degree, isolated at sea. Our performance depends on our focus," a senior navy officer told Reuters aboard Leviathan during a training run, in the first such foreign media access to the vessels. 

Speculation surrounds the role of the fleet of five Dolphin-class submarines, each costing some $500 million. 

A sixth is on order from the German manufacturer. Some analysts suggest these boats may be capable of launching nuclear missiles.  

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WNU Editor: My gut is telling me that these subs are being used to target Iranian assets in covert operations.

Israel's Navy Simulates An Attack On A Natural Gas Platform (Video)

Times of Israel: Army simulates attack on gas rigs in most complex naval drill in decades

Gunships fire missiles at cargo freighter acting as enemy vessel in massive exercise meant to prepare for attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah.

The Israel Navy this week simulated an attack on the country’s natural gas platforms, including a live-fire test of sea-to-sea missiles to destroy an “enemy ship,” the military said Thursday.

Four Sa’ar-4.5 model corvettes participated in the week-long naval exercise, dubbed “Raging Sea,” which ended on Thursday.

The military said it was the most complex naval drill in decades.

The exercise included missiles fired from four ships simultaneously at an old cargo freighter acting as an enemy vessel.

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Update #1: Navy holds drill simulating attack against gas rigs (Jerusalem Post)
Update #2: Watch: Israeli Navy trains for combat (Arutz Sheva)

WNU Editor:  Israel is sending a message to everyone to not mess around with their off-shore natural gas facilities.

The Israeli Navy's Newest Warships Will Guard Its Gas Fields From Hezbollah And Hamas

Israel Navy missile ship patrols near Tamar gas field‏. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Times Of Israel: With high-tech warships, Navy readies to guard gas fields from Hezbollah, Hamas

Four new German-built Sa'ar 6 corvettes due to arrive starting late 2019. Until then, IDF planning to protect strategic maritime assets with existing ships, specialized Iron Dome.

The Israeli Navy is charged with defending the country’s territorial waters, an area that is twice as large as the state itself and is becoming increasingly crowded with highly lucrative natural gas fields and shipping lanes, and it needs help.

For Israel’s enemies these naval sites are “preferred targets,” and both the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon and — to a lesser extent — Hamas in Gaza have the capabilities to threaten them, a senior Israeli Navy official said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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Update #1: Israel’s advanced new warships are assembled in Germany (i24 News)
Update #2: German shipyard starts work on state-of-the-art warships for Israel (The Jerusalem Post)
Update #3: Israel preparing for Hezbollah maritime threat on gas rigs with German ships (Ynetnews)

WNU Editor: It would definitely be a huge coup for either Hamas or Hezbollah to hit an Israeli asset like a natural rig in the Mediterranean. Hence the new Israeli warships.

Former U.S. And Israeli Admirals And Policymakers Want Israel To Become A Maritime power

Three Sa'ar 5 class missile corvettes of the Israeli Navy cruise off the shore of Israel during a training exercise. Wikipedia

Times of Israel: Can Israel become a maritime power?

A commission of former Israeli and American navy admirals and policymakers is calling for the Jewish state to take a far greater role in securing and administering the Eastern Mediterranean, so the US doesn’t have to

Several years ago, before the onset of the Arab Spring, the eminent historian Bernard Lewis suggested that Israel’s future in the Middle East was more secure than many assumed. In measurable ways, the nearer Arab and Muslim states were sinking into ever deeper political, social and economic dysfunction and despair, while Israel, for all its innate tensions and divisive culture wars, was politically and economically sound and socially cohesive.

It was an argument about the way these nations conduct themselves: By conscious choice, the wealthiest Middle Eastern economies rely on oil for their prosperity, whereas Israel relies on technological innovation as its single largest export. As technological advances slowly but surely sideline Middle Eastern oil as a keystone of the global economy, economies that rely on little else will sink further, he argued, while Israel, which has transformed itself into an engine for those very advances, will only rise.

The history of the past few years has largely borne out this assessment.

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WNU Editor: For Israel to become a serious maritime power it will need money, resources, and a long term commitment. For this to work the U.S. will need to increase its military aid to Israel .... but with the U.S. budget being what it is, I seriously doubt that such a commitment will ever come out from Washington.

Sneak Peek at Israel Navy's Secret Subs

Arutz Sheva: Take a Sneak Peak at Israel's Secret Submarine Fleet

Israel's nuclear-capable INS Tanin able to operate deep within enemy territory - to lethal effect.

New footage from the Israeli Navy showcases the most advanced submarine in the IDF's arsenal: the Dolphin-class INS Tanin (Crocodile).

The nuclear-capable submarine boasts an array of sophisticated weaponry, as well as the latest in intelligence-gathering technology.

It stands at a whopping 68 meters long, compared to 57.3 meters on average for other submarines.

"The submarine will receive more long-term missions, and for a greater amount of time, than submarines" the IDF possesses, one navy officer explained, adding that as a result the Navy had "extended by several days our ability to operate silently and secretly in enemy territory."

More News On Israel's Submarine Fleet

Sneak peek into top-of-the-line IDF submarine -- Ynet News
On Eve of Possible Deal, Israel Shows Off Latest Sub -- Washington Free Beacon
Israel’s fourth submarine, ISS Tanin, to start operations within weeks -- Haaretz
Israeli Navy’s New Submarine Poised to Begin Operations -- Algemenier
Powerful Submarines Join Israel’s Navy -- Marine Link

A Close Look At Israel’s Newest And Most Expensive Weapon (Video)

Meet Israel’s Newest, Most Expensive Weapon: The INS Tanin Submarine -- The Algemeiner

In a commemoration aboard Israel’s 4th and newest submarine, the INS Tanin (“crocodile,” or “alligator”), the IDF on Sunday held a wreath-laying ceremony at the site where 69 soldiers of INS Dakar went down with the ship, in the Mediterranean Sea some 270 miles off the Israeli coast in 1968, the Israeli army said.

“We will guard, protect, and act in any enemy coast, and fight bravely for the navy and the state of Israel,” Adm. Ram Rothberg, said at the event, The Jerusalem Post noted.

Referring to the prowess of the new Dolphin-class craft, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz said that, “Without a doubt, this power, operationally and strategically, is very important for Israel, the IDF and the navy.”

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My Comment: Impressive video.

Israel To Receive It's Fourth German Made 'Stealth Submarine' (Video)

Video: 'Nuke-Capable' Stealth Submarine Sets Sail for Israel -- Aurtz Sheva

The INS Tanin – the Navy's fourth and most advanced Dolphin-class submarine – is en route to Israel from Germany.

The INS Tanin, Israel's fourth and most advanced Dolphin class submarine – is en route to Israel from Germany, and the Navy has released video of the vessel and the ceremony in which it was launched at Germany's Kiel shipyards at week's end.

Reports claim Israel has modified the Dolphin's 650mm launch tubes to allow the launch of missiles that could carry nuclear warheads. Such missiles should give Israel the ability to deter belligerent neighbors like Iran, if it delivers a sufficiently convincing threat to make use of them. However – Israel has thus far maintained a policy of nuclear ambiguity.

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My Comment: I am surprised that the Israelis are showing this video. I guess they want to send a message to some countries.

Israel’s Deadliest Submarines Are Almost Ready

Israel’s new Dolphin II-class submarines are the largest undersea craft built in Germany since the Second World War, and when they reach active service they’re expected to take their place among the world’s most effective subs. Intercepts

Israel's Doomsday Submarines Nearly Ready -- Robert Beckhusen, Real Clear Defense/War Is Boring

Dolphin II Class Nearing Completion

The Israeli navy is a bit of an odd duck. It’s designed largely for coastal and eastern Mediterranean warfare. But among all of Israel’s small corvettes and missile boats are some some seriously mighty submarines.

Israel is also investing heavily in growing its submarine fleet. It’s a reflection of Tel Aviv’s increasing reliance on the underwater boats for a range of operations — including nuclear deterrence.

Right now, three Dolphin II-class submarines are under construction at Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems shipyards in Kiel. Once the submarines complete their trials and head towards the Mediterranean, they will become the most powerful Israeli submarines ever.

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My Comment:I suspect that these subs are going to be seeing a lot of "sea time".

Israel's Natural Gas Finds In The Mediterranean Is Now Straining It's Navy

Insight: Israel Gas Finds Launch Navy Into Troubled Waters -- Reuters

(Reuters) - When Israeli economists contemplate their country's untapped natural gas finds far out in the Mediterranean, they dream of energy independence and lucrative export deals.

Those charged with Israel's defense, however, worry that the navy - small and long a middling priority in budgets - may be hard put to protect the multinational drilling platforms and rigs out at sea.

"We will do our best, but without a major boost to our capabilities, our best will not be enough," a senior military planner said in one of a series of Reuters interviews with Israeli decision-makers on the subject.

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My Comment: If sizable oil and gas deposits are found .... we are talking not only talking about hundreds of billions of dollars .... but also energy independence for Israel. For such a possibility .... however remote .... I predict that Israel will lay the groundwork to build up it's navy.

Can Israel's Submarines Act As A Deterrent Against Attack?

Dolphin-class Israeli submarine, capable of launching cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads

How Subs Could Save Israel -- Ronald S. Lauder, New York Post

It’s time the Israelis “went deep.” That is, it’s time they took their submarine force and reinvented it as a strategic deterrent against a potentially nuclear-armed Iran and its terrorist surrogates seeking to literally wipe Israel off the map.

The Jewish state has never been a potent sea power. Its military has traditionally depended on a mobile land force of tanks, mechanized infantry and a powerful air force to confront the far more numerous Arab armies that have threatened its existence. Yet the reality is, warfare technology that could put Iranian nuclear warheads atop medium-range ballistic missiles should force changes in Israeli’s strategy to survive.

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Update: Ron Lauder: Israel must expand sub fleet amid Iran threat -- Ynet News

My Comment: I have trouble seeing Israel's submarine fleet being a deterrent to Iran's religious fanatics .... but it is probably still good to have them than not having them.

Will Israel's Nuclear Deterrent Be Put To Sea?

U212
Photo from Military Photos

From Information Dissemination:

There have been rumors that Israel has been pressuring Germany to finish the 2 submarines under construction. I guess the rumors are true.

Israel has taken delivery of two German submarines ordered four years ago, a military spokesman said on Tuesday...

The submarines, called U212s, can launch cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads, although when it confirmed the sale in 2006 the German government said the two vessels were not equipped to carry nuclear weapons.

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My Comment: This is not only an excellent weapon system for deterring one's enemy, it can also quickly strike against military targets. I am sure that everyone in the region is looking at this development, and are pondering its implications.

As to being Israel's nuclear deterrent .... I do not know if their thinking is to go that way, but I am sure that they would like to at least have the option available.