Tel Aviv: According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Israel is predicted to have spent $1.1 billion on nuclear weapons in 2023.
Israel is ranked seventh in the world by ICAN for its investment in nuclear weapons, slightly higher than North Korea ($900 million) and Pakistan ($1 billion).
According to the foreign media, at least one Israeli submarine stationed in the Persian Gulf is armed with missiles carrying nuclear weapons.
The three advanced Dolphin AIP class submarines were built by German company Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), and advanced Dolphin 2 class vessels are equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP). The AIP enables the submarines total freedom from external air. That means that they can stay submerged for a longer time.
The new submarines are 12 metres longer and with 500 tons more displacement than the Dolphin 1 Submarines. The submarines sonar and defence systems are advanced and improved relative to their predecessors.
According to German magazine Der Spiegel, the Dolphin 2 subs can stay underwater for up to eighteen days. The Dolphin 2 weighs approximately 20 percent more than the older type and have dedicated diver-lockout chambers. The new class submarines are 226 feet long and can reach a speed of 25 Kts while submerged.
They are capable of operating in depth of 1150 feet. The crew strength is 35 and another 15 “experts” can be on board.
The new submarines have six 21″ torpedo tubes and four 26″ torpedo tubes. Two of the new Dolphin 2 class submarines have been delivered. The third one will be delivered in the coming years.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
