The INS Tanin, Israel's fourth and most advanced Dolphin class submarine – is en route to Israel from Germany, and the Navy has released video of the vessel and the ceremony in which it was launched at Germany's Kiel shipyards at week's end.
Reports claim Israel has modified the Dolphin's 650mm launch tubes to allow the launch of missiles that could carry nuclear warheads. Such missiles should give Israel the ability to deter belligerent neighbors like Iran, if it delivers a sufficiently convincing threat to make use of them. However – Israel has thus far maintained a policy of nuclear ambiguity.
The German weekly Der Spiegel reported that the submarines have a nuclear capability and are part of Israel's weaponry to counter the nuclear threat from Iran.
Each Dolphin-class submarine is capable of carrying a combined total of up to 16 torpedoes and Submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs). The cruise missiles have a range of at least 1,500 km (930 mi) and are widely believed to be equipped with a 200-kilogram (440 lb) nuclear warhead containing up to 6 kilograms (13 lb) of plutonium.
Israel has already purchased a fifth Dolphin-class submarine at a subsidized rate from Berlin, and has an option for a sixth.
Arutz7
Vierde Duitse onderzeeër vaart naar Israël
