The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on 19 June that is has acquired a new type of torpedo that it calls the Kaved (heavy) for its submarines.
“The torpedo systems possess advanced capabilities and characteristics, including increased precision and range,” the IDF said in a statement.
The announcement came after months of testing, including live-fire trials in which targets were struck. A senior naval source said the final test was conducted overnight on 18-19 June by Flotilla 7, the navy’s submarine unit. “This is an event that happens once in decades,” the source said. “This will safeguard our operational advantage over a [long] period of time.”
He said the Kaved is made by a non-Israeli defence company that he did not name, but that future upgrades and all maintenance would be conducted in-house by the navy. It will equip Israel’s three older Dolphin submarines as well as the new three new-generation boats, the last of which is expected to be delivered by the German company TKMS in 2019.
The source described the Kaved as a very high-speed weapon that could hit both surface and sub-surface targets, including those at depths of “hundreds of metres”. Unlike the navy’s previous type, the new torpedo has a digital sonar guidance system that “lets us conduct upgrades in the future without changing hardware” and makes the weapon difficult for a target to evade by manoeuvring, the source said.
While he did not give specific ranges, the source said the torpedo enables the engagement of targets that are beyond the range that the attacking submarine can be detected.
Da 1/3 der Finanzierung der Vorgänger U Boote die Deutsche Regierung übernahm ist das wohl eher eine Hexen Jagt nach einen Besen. Die Kritik mancher Militärs aus dem Bestellerland damals waren fragwürdig, ist doch das Dolphin wie die deutschen MarineUboote die besten nicht atomarangetriebenen der Welt! Bibi kann man viel nachsagen, aber er war schon immer ein schlauer Fuchs, die Vorwürfe sind doch etwas Konkurenzlastig!
Latest Israeli Submarine’s Big Sail Seen In New Images
The photos were taken by German photographer Helwin Scharn on August 1, 2023, and he kindly shared them with The War Zone. They show INS Drakon — the latest and most advanced of Israel’s Dolphin II class attack submarines — after it came out of the construction hall in Kiel, northern Germany.
One of the most striking features visible is the enormous sail, by far the largest ever seen on an Israeli submarine. Although unconfirmed, it’s widely believed that INS Drakon will have a vertical launch system (VLS) module for submarine-launched cruise missiles, installed either abaft the sail or perhaps within it, which might explain the size increase in this area.
While at this point we can only guess what the sail might contain, it’s notable that concept imagery of Israel’s follow-on Dakar class submarine also reveals a much-enlarged sail, the implications of which we have discussed in detail in the past.
Spannender und extrem seltener Einblick in die U Boot Hallen Kiels-erste Adresse für modernen U-Bootbau in Deutschland, zu sehen ist etwa der Turm und die Einfassung für Periscop und Antennenmasten,
dass Raketen vertikal gestartet werden können ist bekannt, zum einen zur Abwehr von Überwasserschiffen aber auch hoch fliegende U-Boot-Jäger (Hubschrauber und Seeaufklärerflugzeuge) wie auch gegen "Landziele" gerichtet. Diese werden üblicherweise aus großen Torpedorohren mit Druckluft ausgestoßen und zünden dann erst ihren Treibstoff für Ihre Reise ans Ziel
Interessant auch die öffentlichkeitswirksame "zur Schau Stellung" der sonst so diskreten U Bootfahrer-Aktivitäten zuletzt der US Navy, die Ihre Interkontinentalraketenträger U Boote vor Korea dümpeln ließen, was zugleich Nordkorea zu weissglut brachte
In its statement on the naming ceremony held in Kiel, the MoD described Drakon as a “strategic combat asset” that is “equipped with unique systems, including ground-breaking technologies that expand the range of the [Israel Defense Forces'] IDF's capabilities across various arenas”.
“Significant transformations are taking place in the submarine flotilla: operational methods are improving, the range of operational capabilities is being enhanced and expanded,” the MoD quoted Vice Admiral David Saar Salama, commander in chief of the Israeli Navy, as saying. “All of these place the submarine flotilla at the forefront of the campaign for Israel's security, as the extended arm of the IDF. With the addition of INS Drakon to the depths of our operations, our extended arm grows significantly in length and strength.”
The MoD added that Drakon will be delivered in 2025, after which it will sail to Israel. The ceremony also marked the commencement of construction of the new Dakar-class submarines that are scheduled for delivery in the early 2030s.
The MoD announced in January 2022 that it had reached an agreement with tkMS under which three Dakar-class submarines would be built to replace the three older Dolphins, with the first delivered in nine years.
Dual Milestones for thyssenkrupp Marine Systems: Launching of ‘INS DRAKON’ and the start of production of the first Class ‘DAKAR’ submarine for the Israel Defense Forces
A ceremonial event took place on November 12, 2024 in Kiel – at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems marking two significant milestones: the launching of the ‘INS DRAKON’ submarine and the start of production of the first Class ‘DAKAR’ submarine.
