Israel gets 5th nuclear-capable Dolphin sub from Germany

Israel has added to its naval capabilities with the arrival of its fifth Dolphin-class submarine.
The Dolphin-class sub, built in and partially funded by Germany, is reportedly capable of carrying a nuclear weapon.

Israeli leaders on Jan. 12 celebrated the arrival of the Jewish state’s newest Dolphin-class submarine, the INS Rahav, in a ceremony at a naval base in Haifa.

The Rahav, Hebrew for “splendor,” has six 533mm torpedo tubes, four 650mm torpedo tubes and its arsenal includes DM-2A4 Seehake wire-guided torpedoes, UGM-84C Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Triton anti-helicopter missiles.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck for their “great contribution to fortifying our naval force through supplying these submarines and through outer important means we are discussing.”

The $406 million INS Rahav joins the Tanin, Tekuma, Leviathan, and Dolphin in Israel’s fleet of submarines.

“Our submarine fleet serves as a deterrent to our enemies who seek our destruction,” Netanyahu said. “They need to know that Israel is capable of hitting with very great force anyone who tries to harm us.”