INS ‘Drakon,’ Israel’s newest and biggest submarine reports for active duty
In a ceremony that took place last week in the German port of Kiel, the Israeli Navy named its sixth and biggest submarine the INS Drakon.
Israel Navy Commander David Saar Salama; Zeev Landau, Defense Ministry deputy director-general and head of the Directorate of Production and Procurement; and Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor attended the ceremony. Thyssenkrupp is due to deliver the submarine in 2025.
High cost
The INS Drakon is the biggest submarine built in Germany since the end of the Second World War. It costs €500 million ($586 million), with one-third of it financed by the German government. In comparison, the INS Tanin , which was procured by Israel a decade ago at a cost of €400 million, and all four Saar 6 warships together cost €450 million.
In 2018, the Israel Navy decided to halt the INS Drakon project, which was almost ready, and implement a strategic change with improvements, including replacing components.
The major change extended the delivery time and increased costs. The design and planning phase of each submarine lasts about three years, while construction takes about seven years. Unlike Israel's previous three submarines, the INS Drakon has, among others, an AIP system, which allows batteries to be charged even underwater, thus enabling a longer diving time.
A Nuclear submarine?
The submarine is conventionally powered. It does not have a nuclear reactor for propulsion. ThyssenKrupp produces only conventionally powered submarines.
But the INS Drakon, like the INS Tanin and INS Rahav, has 10 torpedo tubes (six with a diameter of 533 millimeters and four with a diameter of 650 millimeters). According to foreign reports, the submarine can launch the Popeye nuclear cruise missiles produced by Rafael, as well as German-made 4A2DM missiles and US-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
According to foreign reports, a significant advantage of the INS Drakon, compared with its sister ships, is its VLS capability: an advanced launch system for launching missiles from vessels.
The length of the submarine is estimated by international media at more than 70 meters, which allows not only for a larger ship's complement, but also more weapons and ammunition. Its weight exceeds 2,000 tons, making it the most powerful submarine in the Middle East.
According to a report by the German newspaper Der Spiegel about Israeli submarines that are already active, such as Tanin and Rahav, the vessels can remain submerged for 18 days and reach a speed of 25 knots (46.3 kilometers per hour). Stay updated with the latest news!
Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post NewsletterThroughout the entire development of the INS Drakon, dozens of Israel Navy engineers worked alongside ThyssenKrupp's staff. This teamwork has extended over 30 years, during which Israel has become Thyssenkrupp's second-biggest customer after the German government.
The life cycle of a submarine is about 30 years, mainly due to the effects of the pressures on the hull when submerging and on the inner shell of the submarine. As a result, the INS Dolphin, INS Leviathan, and INS Tkuma submarines, which arrived in Haifa in 1999-2000, will be phased out. To this end, in 2022, Israel procured from ThyssenKrupp three new submarines of the Dakar class for €3 billion, and delivery should begin in 2031. Unlike the INS Rahav, INS Tanin, and INS Dragon submarines, Germany is expected to finance "only" 20% of their cost. (Globes/TNS)
