Shrouded in secrecy, the Dolphin- and Dolphin II–class submarines are the primary naval assault power of the Israeli Defense Force. They provide the often-beleaguered nation an array of capabilities, ranging from intelligence collection and special operations support to antisurface warfare and deterrence patrols. Shayetet 7, the navy’s submarine unit, operates the current fleet of five (soon to be six) submarines out of Haifa. The first two boats—the Dolphin and Leviathan—were fully funded by Germany, while the cost for the third, the Tekuma, was shared equally between the two countries.
These initial Dolphin-class submarines began construction at Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW shipyard) in Kiel, with assembly and fitting out completed at Thyssen Nordseewerke shipyards at Emden. The first three were launched in 1996, 1997, and 1998 and entered service between May 1999 and July 2000. They have a crew of 30, displace 1,900 tons submerged, measure 188-feet long with a 22-foot beam, and have a top underwater speed of 20 knots.
Soon after commissioning the third submarine, discussions began about acquiring what became known as the Dolphin II class. The larger Dolphin II submarines displace 2,400 tons submerged, have a top speed of 25 knots, and carry a crew of 35. Notably, the Dolphin IIs were built to a lengthened 225-foot design that incorporates a 37-foot plug housing an air-independent propulsion system with fuel cells for extended stealthy undersea operations. Two Dolphin II–class submarines, the Tanin and Rahav, were ordered in 2006, launched in 2012 and 2013, and joined the Israeli fleet in 2014 and 2016, respectively. They were built at HDW, Kiel, with one-third of the cost paid by Germany and two-thirds by Israel.
All Dolphin and Dolphin II submarines are fitted with hull-mounted and flank array sonars along with ten bow torpedo tubes, six of which measure 533-mm in diameter and four 650-mm. The tubes can carry German DM2A4 wire-guided torpedoes, mines, and U.S. Harpoon antiship missiles. The larger 650-mm tubes reportedly can launch swimmer delivery vehicles or be fitted with liners to carry torpedoes or missiles. Numerous published, but unconfirmed, media and think-tank reports have described these submarines as capable of carrying nuclear-armed cruise missiles.
The final Dolphin II boat, the future Drakon, is the largest of the six submarines. She was ordered in 2011, launched last summer at Kiel, and is expected to enter service in the near future. In addition to ten torpedo tubes, the Drakon features a lengthened sail, speculated to contain a unique vertical launch system (VLS) for expanded missile loadouts. A contract for three follow-on next-generation submarines, to be known as the Dakar class, was finalized between Israel and Germany in 2022. These submarines are expected to begin replacing the first three Dolphin-class boats in the early 2030s.
