Sub order: Israel to ask for German cash

United Press International ^ | Oct. 8, 2009

[sukhoi-30mki]

Sub order: Israel to ask for German cash

Published: Oct. 8, 2009 at 11:48 AM

BERLIN, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Germany has been asked to help fund yet another submarine for the Israeli navy.

Jerusalem plans to order another submarine of the Dolphin class from German Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG and has asked the German government to subsidize the order, German news magazine Der Spiegel reports.

Berlin has helped Israel pay for five previously ordered submarines. The first two (named Dolphin and Leviathan) were a gift by Germany after it surfaced that German companies were involved with Iraq's chemical weapons program.

To save the orders and jobs for the German shipyards, Chancellor Helmut Kohl decided to pay for the first two subs with tax money and subsidize half of the third model, named Tehumah.

When Israel decided to order two more subs, Berlin chipped in a third of those costs as well. Those two submarines -- No. 4 and No. 5 -- were delivered last month. They are upgraded versions of the original Dolphin and feature an air-independent propulsion system.

Now No. 6 is ready to be ordered, and Israel is due to ask Berlin to shoulder at least part of the estimated $750 million price tag. In Germany, critics of the Israeli submarine deal fear that the vessels could be used to fire nuclear warheads. Observers nevertheless expect Berlin to subsidize the order.

The Dolphin-class submarines are among the most sophisticated and capable conventional submarines in the world. The 190-foot non-nuclear sub is based on the German 209 class but is larger and more heavily armed.

The subs can fire torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and mines. The vessels are also believed to be capable of launching Popeye Turbo cruise missiles that could be armed with nuclear warheads. These missiles have a range of up to 930 miles. A Dolphin-class submarine in a recent military exercise entered the Suez Canal together with an Egyptian escort, in a move that was widely interpreted as a warning to Iran.

HDW, owned by ThyssenKrupp and based in Kiel, is the largest shipyard in Germany. It has more than 2,400 employees.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

Sweet News!

[clee1]

Somebody wanna ‘splain to me why Israel needs a huge sub fleet? None of their regional enemies could ever be called a “naval power” by any stretch of the imagination.

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

“Popeye Turbo cruise missiles that could be armed with nuclear warheads. These missiles have a range of up to 930 miles.”
~~~
How bout dat??!...;0)

[DeusExMachina05]

Because a country as small as Israel could be wiped off the map quickly in a nuke strike and needs a hidden nuke sub fleet to ensure retaliation capability.

[wolf78]

Somebody wanna ‘splain to me why Israel needs a huge sub fleet? None of their regional enemies could ever be called a “naval power” by any stretch of the imagination.

1.) Intelligence gathering: Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza strip all have coastlines.

2.) Commando operations e.g. in said states.

3.) Sea-based conventional first strike capability. E.g. if Israel were to attack Iranian nuclear facilities, they could send planes. Or they could use the element of suprise and fire cruise missiles from a sub.

4.) Sea-based nuclear second strike capability. Any nation (hint: Iran) will think twice about a nuclear attack on Israel knowing that Israel has e.g. two subs with nukes off its own coast.

5.) 6 Subs is substantial, but not exactly huge. Especially if your enemy isn't your direct neighbor, you need more u-boats to rotate.

6.) These subs are considerably cheaper than e.g. the British or American nuclear sub fleet. Britain will pay something like €25 billion for its new trident system consisting of 4 subs. Israel's 6 subs cost a tenth of that - before rebates.

[BOBWADE]

mutual assured destruction is a good deterant

[Leisler]

Not to mention those great machine builders and chemical engineers, the Germans, are Iran’s number one trading partner.( any day now the Iranian car industry will dominate the world, right?)

I suppose this is a case of Germany supplying both sides.

[Michael81Dus]

Germany does not deliver arms to Iran, but to Israel.
What´s your point?

[Leisler]

Iran doesn't have an auto industry, nor really manufacture any world class manufacturing products. It doesn't even refine it's own gasoline.

Germany is, the or one of Iran's major trading partners, especially it's world renown machine tools, presses, and other specialized cutting and milling machines. These are used for Iran's weapons production.

So, we may see German built Israeli Navy subs, firing nuclear weapon cruise missiles, at Iranian weapon/missile manufacturing sites with German CNC and other specialized tools. Not that that kind of oddness doesn't occur whith the US, with say, it now supplying advanced F-16 to Pak, which can not get a truck full of troops up a mountain road but is spending billions on nuclear weapons against India. Hardly anything makes sense to me anymore.