XPost: sci.military.naval, soc.history.war.misc

from https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/08/israel-launches-new-submarine-first-in-world-with-modern-missiles-in-sail/

(Go to citation to see a graphic.)

Click to Enlarge. The Israeli Navy's latest submarine, INS Drakon,
features a unique heavy sail. This is believed to house a new missile. Surprisingly, there are also four special torpedo tubes for Israeli
developed cruise missiles.

Israel Launches New Submarine, First In World With Modern Missiles In Sail
The Israeli Navy is known for the secrecy surrounding its submarine
force. 5 Dolphin-I/II class submarines are believed to carry
nuclear-armed missiles. Now the latest boat, INS Drakon, has been
quietly launched in Kiel, Germany. It appears to have new, larger, missiles.
H I Sutton 14 Aug 2023

Israel’s latest submarine, INS Drakon (‘Dragon’), has been launched in Kiel, Germany. It indicates significant growth in Israeli submarine capabilities. A variant of the successful Dolphin-II class, its unique
lines also showcase Israel’s fiercely independent naval thinking.

INS Drakon is larger than any previous Israeli submarine, being much
longer than the first two Dolphin-II boats. Even more noticeable is the ginormous sail. This likely contains its defining feature: advanced new missiles.

Needing A Bigger Boat
The Dolphin-II already had a lengthened hull compared to the original
Dolphin-I in order to fit in AIP (air independent power). The new hull
insert makes the submarine even longer. Based on available information,
the follow-on Dakar class will be about the same length as Drakon and
feature a similarly lengthened sail. So INS Drakon can be thought of as
the bridge between the Dolphin class and the future Dakar Class.

Naval News had previously reported that the submarine was likely to be
longer, and feature a vertical launch system. But at that time it wasn’t clear that the missiles would be in the sail.

Submarines have been equipped with missile silos in the sail before. The
Soviet Union’s first purpose built ballistic missile submarines, the
Hotel and Golf classes, did this. More recently North Korea has
leveraged this trick to get larger missiles into smaller submarines. Yet
the German-designed submarine is the first truly modern design to
feature this.

Rough estimates suggest that the longer hull and sail add a space
approximately 2 meters wide by 4 meters long and up to 11 meters deep.
This could accommodate two large missile silos, or more likely, 4-8
smaller ones. It is also a reasonable assumption that they can be
nuclear armed.

Other explanations for the large sail should also be considered.
Possibly it related to special forces equipment. Or possibly a hangar
for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), uncrewed air vehicles (UAVs), loitering munitions or even a rescue submersible. But none of these are
as convincing as the missile hypothesis.

New Missiles
The exact nature of the new missiles can only be guessed at. By
implication they are ballistic missiles, possibly with a guided final
stage. Whatever they are, Israel is keeping it secret.

Placing the missile tubes in the hull below the sail allows for much
longer missiles than if they had to be accommodated under the deck
casing. The sail adds several meters to their possible length, although
weight and stability still needs to be considered.

Interestingly, despite the new missiles in the sail, the submarine still
has four extra torpedo tubes in the bow. These appear to be unchanged
from the previous Dophin-I & II class boats. The extra tubes are larger
than regular 533mm (21 inch) torpedo tubes. They are understood to be
dedicated to Israeli developed cruise missiles. These missiles can be
nuclear armed and, it is believed, form part of Israel’s nuclear deterrent.

A New Mystery About The Armament
Having both the torpedo tubes for nuclear armed cruise missiles and the vertical launch tubes may surprise analysts. It suggests that the new
missiles are not a direct replacement for the cruise missiles.

One explanation is that the new weapons will not be ready until after
the submarine enters service. Indeed, Drakon may be used to test the new missiles. So retaining the torpedo tubes allows continued nuclear
deterrence during the transition.

Possibly one set of missiles will be conventionally armed and the other
nuclear armed. This would allow land attack missions while simul
maintaining a nuclear deterrence.

A more prosaic answer is that the vertical launch tubes were added late
in the design, possibly even after construction had started. It may have
been cheaper and easier to keep the additional torpedo tubes. This would
be despite the temptation of weight savings and simplification if they
were removed.

It may take some time, possibly years, to decipher the submarine’s capabilities. Indeed, the Israeli Navy keeps some aspects of their
existing submarines secret, so we may never know all of it. But as new
images come in, some parts of the puzzle may fall into place.

TAGS Israel Israeli Navy Submarine
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AUTHORS

Posted by : H I Sutton
H I Sutton writes about the secretive and under-reported submarines,
seeking out unusual and interesting vessels and technologies involved in fighting beneath the waves. Submarines, capabilities, naval special
forces underwater vehicles and the changing world of underwater warfare
and seabed warfare. To do this he combines the latest Open Source
Intelligence (OSINT) with the traditional art and science of defense
analysis. He occasionally writes non-fiction books on these topics and
draws analysis-based illustrations to bring the subject to life. In
addition, H I Sutton is a naval history buff and data geek. His personal website about these topics is Covert Shores (www.hisutton.com)

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