Posted on 08/25/2006 4:12:50 AM PDT by MNJohnnie
JERUSALEM — With the purchase of two more German-made Dolphin submarines capable of carrying nuclear warheads, military experts say Israel is sending a clear message to Iran that it can strike back if attacked by nuclear weapons.
The purchases come at a time when Iran is refusing to bow to growing Western demands to halt its nuclear program, and after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map."
CountryWatch: Israel
The new submarines, built at a cost of $1.3 billion with Germany footing one-third of the bill, have diesel-electric propulsion systems that allow them to remain submerged for longer periods of time than the three nuclear arms-capable submarines already in Israel's fleet, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The latest submarines not only would be able to carry out a first strike should Israel choose to do so, but they also would provide Israel with crucial second-strike capabilities, said Paul Beaver, a London-based independent defense analyst.
Israel is already believed to have that ability in the form of the Jericho-1 and Jericho-2 nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, which are buried so far underground they would survive a nuclear strike, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Did they just buy them or did they take delivery of them?
German officials have said the contract for the new submarines was signed July 6, and the Jerusalem Post reported this week the subs will be operational shortly.
Why would they buy diesel-electric subs and not nuclear-class subs?
Diesels are considerably cheaper and much better suited to shallow water (aka Littoral) operations
Oh. Thanks.
The German-made Dolphin submarines are the quietest in the world - or perhaps I should say on a par with any other absolute top-range diesel.
They don't have the round-the-world endurance of nuclear, but they can remain completely silent for weeks at a time on battery power. And they can work in about 60ft of water. I don't know if they can submarine-launch missiles though. I didn't think so.
Sorry - my reply was for Obadiah. You know this stuff already, my bad.
Well, that makes sense then. Generally, when I think of deisel-electric I don't think of them as tactically quite as nuclear or as having the ability to remain submerged for as long a period, but as you described, that class would seem ideally suited for that part of the world's ocean, and there is probably little need to have a tactically superior silence factor given the likely ASW technology in the region. Also, I guess I wasn't aware that modern diesels could remain submerged for periods that long. In light of that, and the cost factor, the purchase makes sense.
Yes and no. Running on batteries the Diesel/Electrics are quieter then the Nukes. Their weakness is having to snort then they are nosier then all get out. The other thing that occurred to me is the nukes are more expensive to operate over time. For a nation as small as Israel, they got to get the most bang as possible for their buck. They simply do not have the money to throw around given all their security concerns.
If I'm not mistaken, isn't the US the only country that no longer has diesel subs in their arsenal?
I figured the Brits would still have a diesel or two around for coastal defense, but the end of the Cold War may have eliminated the need. The idea that the US may be looking at conventional powered boats after all these years is interesting.
Actually I think the US is looking at how to defeat a Diesel Electric threat in Littoral waters since Iran and other countries have been buying old Sov Diesel boats.
Yeppers, and you have to figure the Japanese are a bit antsy about North Korea putting a missle or two on a sub in the Sea of Japan. Iran, though, is more pressing as the JSDF can probably handle anything Kim Jong Il puts in the water.
You are right, I foget the NKs had got some old Sov boats too.
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