In November 2005, reports surfaced that that Germany would sell Israel 2 AIP-equipped
SSK Dolphin Class submarines.
In 2006, the deal was finalized at a total of $1.27 billion, with the
German government picking up 1/3 of the cost. The new boats were built
at the Howaldtswerke-Deutche Werft AG (HDW) shipyard, in the Baltic Sea
coastal city of Kiel.
Now, reports indicate that both submarines have been delivered early…
The Dolphin Class, and Its Improvements
The
Dolphins are quiet diesel-electric attack submarines that evolved from
Germany’s famous and ubiquitous U209 Class. They can fire torpedoes and
missiles from their 533mm torpedo tubes, perform underwater
surveillance, and even launch combat swimmers via a wet and dry
compartment.
Germany had already …
