INS Drakon Joins Israeli Navy as Sixth Submarine
Israel's newest submarine, INS Drakon, has arrived in Haifa and formally joined the Israeli Navy after more than a decade of construction, testing and preparations in Germany.
Israel’s sixth submarine
The September 24 arrival gives the Navy its sixth submarine and the third vessel in Israel's Dolphin AIP series.
AIP refers to air independent propulsion.
The system allows a submarine to generate power and recharge batteries while remaining submerged for extended periods without relying on outside air, increasing the amount of time it can operate beneath the surface.
Built in Germany
The IDF says INS Drakon completed more than 12 years of construction and testing before reaching Israel.
The submarine was built through long term cooperation with Germany and the TKMS shipyard in Kiel.
President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Navy commander Vice Adm. Eyal Harel and representatives of TKMS attended the arrival ceremony in Haifa.
What the Navy says it adds
Zamir said the vessel increases the Navy's ability to operate covertly and at greater range. Those descriptions reflect the IDF's assessment of its capabilities, while many of the submarine's detailed operational systems remain classified.
Submarines occupy an unusual place in Israel's military structure because of their ability to operate for prolonged periods far from the country's coastline while remaining difficult to detect.
The next generation
The Drakon also arrives as Israel continues developing the next generation of submarines.
The Ministry of Defense has previously announced that future Dakar class submarines are expected to begin arriving during the next decade.
The arrival therefore marks both the completion of a long running procurement project and another step in the modernization of Israel's naval capabilities.
