Israel
Receives 4th Dolphin Submarine, Iran On Radar
By
Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem,
Israel --- May 3, 2012 .... Part of the following was communicated
by the Israel Government Press Office to the Israel News Agency.
At an official
state ceremony held today Thursday, May 3, 2012 at the Kiel shipyard
in Hamburg, Germany, the Israel Defense Ministry received a fourth
Dolphin class submarine "INS Tanin". It was officially
transferred to the Israel Defense Ministry and the Israel Navy
and is due to arrive in Israel in 2013.
Israel Defense
Ministry Director-General Udi Shani, GOC Navy Maj.-Gen. Ram Rothberg,
the head of the Ministry's Procurement Administration, Brig.-Gen.
Shmuel Tzucker, along with other senior Israeli officials and
their German counterparts launched the fourth Dolphin Class submarine,
marking its transfer to the Defense Ministry and the Israel Navy.
This ceremony signaled the end of a lengthy process led by the
Procurement Administration.
The high point
of the event in the Kiel shipyard in Hamburg was the ceremonial
breaking of the champagne bottle against the submarine by both
Israel and German officials.
"INS
Tanin" will arrive in Israel during the course of 2013, once
all the relevant checks are complete. It is considered to be among
the most advanced and sophisticated submarines in the world, and
will be Israel's and the IDF's most expensive piece of military
equipment. The Dolphin submarine is extremely versatile with a
range of capabilities enabling it to adapt to a multitude of missions.
Israel Defense
Minister Ehud Barak congratulated the Israeli Navy and the IDF
on the occasion of the submarine's launching and noted: "The
submarine will be another force multiplier in terms of the capabilities
and strength of the IDF and the State of Israel in the face of
the growing regional challenges. The Navy has been undergoing
a number of strategic changes in recent years; changes that place
it as the long arm of the IDF, at the very forefront of the campaign
to secure the State of Israel. This deal is an expression of the
depth of the relationship with Germany, reflecting the ongoing
commitment of the Government of Germany to Israel's security."
Barak is very
much focused on Iran's nuclear program, saying Israel will not
be duped by negotiations, and warning that an attack is not out
of the question.
"Today
sanctions are stronger than ever," said Barak. "They
forced the Iranians to take note, to sit down and to talk. The
P-5+1 engagement of Iran, however, does not fill me with confidence.
I may sound pessimistic, but the State of Israel cannot afford
to be duped."
Barak also
accused the Iranian government of seeking to buy time to make
its alleged nuclear weapons program immune from military attacks.
Barak has been one of the strongest supporters of Israel Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hardline position against Iran's
nuclear weapon activities.
Israel Defense
Ministry Director-General Shani noted at the event: "My greatest
appreciation and thanks go to the officials at the Israel Ministry
of Defense and the Defense Establishment for the negotiation process,
development, construction and integration of the Dolphin class
submarine and the advanced combat systems with which the submarine
is equipped. The ceremony, more than anything, symbolizes the
strong and unique bond between Germany and Israel. With the current
developments and growing regional challenges, the cooperation
between Germany and Israel has grown even stronger."
Director-General
Shani thanked his German counterpart and noted: "On behalf
of the State of Israel and the Defense Establishment, I thank
you for taking up this unique project. Without your dedication
and professionalism, this mission would never have been completed."
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, also highlighted the
importance of this acquisition and the strategic importance of
Israel's growing submarine fleet: "The Navy and its fleet
of submarines, along with other arms of the IDF, make up an arm
of deterrence a defensive and 'fighting' arm on
a strategic level both for the IDF and the State of Israel."
GOC Navy Maj.
Gen. Ram Rothberg added: "At a time when threats are becoming
global in their nature, the relationship between Israel and Germany
is more crucial than ever."
Last month,
Israel Defense Minister Barak was in Germany to sign an additional
agreement for the construction and delivery of a new and improved
submarine. This will be Israel's sixth submarine and it is expected
to arrive in 2017, joining the fourth and fifth submarines (which
will arrive in Israel in 2013 and 2014 respectively).
The cost of
each submarine is approximately $0.5 billion. One-third of this
sum is funded by the Government of Germany.
Addressing
present international efforts to halt Iran's nuclear program and
if these efforts should fail, any military action against Tehran
should be led not by Israel, but by the United States, said former
Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"The
last resort is a military action," Olmert told CNN in a recent
interview. "And I prefer that it would be an American action
- supported by the international community - if all the other
efforts would fail."
Often described
as Israel's second-strike doomsday weapon - according to foreign
reports - able to launch cruise missiles tipped with nuclear warheads,
Israel's ten submarines can dive deep, stay under longer and maintain
democracy in the Middle East. The Dolphin's two periscopes - integrated
with night-vision and thermal imaging - were specially designed
for the navy and allow anything the captain sees to be relayed
to a screen in the CIC. This includes any Iranian activity in
the Red Sea and beyond.
In the event
of a war with Iran, Israel could use the submarines 4,500 nautical
mile range to listen and take required, accurate action.
"The
Red Sea is an area that has significance for us and could turn
into an important front for Israel," a senior IDF naval officer
recently said.
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