Above artwork depicts INS Drakon's possible fit-out, 6 single vertical launch missile tubes each able to launch a c.640mm Popeye Turbo nuclear missile. In contrast my money is on one Vertical Multi-Purpose Lock (VMPL). A VMPL could permit Drakon to carry larger diameter missiles in future eg. hypersonic missiles or small ballistic missiles. Click here to enable image expansion. (Courtesy H I Sutton via NavalNews )
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It is suspected the last of the Dolphin 2 class, INS Drakon, has had an extended 6 year fit-out period in Israel (since launch in Germany in 2017) to install a vertical launch system (VLS). If Israel is smart its VLS may be in the form of a Vertical Multi-Purpose Lock (VMPL) the same concept as the Virginia Payload Tube (VPT) within a Virginia Payload Module. A VMPL may have been envisaged by TKMS for the not fully designed Type 216 offered to Australia (see at base of SubMatts' 2015 article).
A VMPL (unlike single launch tubes) would permit Drakon, and the follow on Dakar-class Dolphin 3s to vertically launch significantly larger diameter missiles than c.640mm Popeye Turbos, standard 520mm Israeli Tomahawk clones (if they exist) or 500mm MdCNs.
Assumed to be nuclear armed larger future missiles might include hypersonic missiles (eg. cold launch then rocket then scramjet propelled), or small ballistic missiles.
Israel's quasi-ballistic Long Range Attack (LORA) missile looks ripe for enlargement from its current 624mm diameter, 5.2m length, 570kg warhead and 400km range.
Doing the math: If the Drakon fits a standard a Virginia Payload Tube (VPT) with its standard inner diameter of 87 inch = 2.2m needs to be shortened to 8.0m in height to fit into a slightly humped hull. Then 2.2m can accommodate 3 x 1.0m tubes. To hit Tehran from the eastern Mediterranean might require a 1,800km range. The enlarged LORA SLBM might then be 950mm in diameter, with an extra 2.5m stage, lighter stage casings and a more powerful rocket propellant.
Sure! "Аm 23. Dezember 2019 beantwortete Staatssekretär Nußbaum für das Wirtschaftsministerium noch eine Kleine Anfrage der Linken. In seiner Antwort auf Frage 30 teilte er mit, dass die Bundesregierung im 1.Halbjahr 2019 den UmbaAu eines im Bau befindlichen U-Bootes für Israel mit Exportkreditgarantien in Höhe von 88 Mio. Euro absichert habe. Diese Garantie betrifft das 6. Dolphin-U-Boot, das sich derzeit noch im Bau befindet und wegen der Umbauwünsche Israels deutlich später ausgeliefert werden soll. Dieses .U-Boot erhält eine zusätzliche druckfest ausgelegte Rumpfsektion, die genutzt werden kann, um mehrere Aufgaben zu erfüllen. Aus ihr können zusätzliche Spezialkräfte abgesetzt oder z.B.auch Flugkörper senkrecht gestartet werden. Eine ausführlichere Beschreibung findet sich hier. Ob die Mehrkosten für die Umrüstung oder die Ausstattung der künftigen FINS-Generation israelischer U-Boote auch zu einer Erhöhung des deutschen Finanzbeitrags zu diesen Beschaffungsvorhaben führen wird ist noch nicht bekannt".https://www.bits.de/ "Berlin Information-center Transatlantic Cecurity" Originalbeitrag
ReplyDelete13. Dezember 2019
Germany–Israel relations need to monitor the primary source. Regards... P.S. I wish you health and courage. I know the feeling, alas...
Oleg7700, an expert on German subs for Israel, on April 24, 2023, provided the German language comment above. When translated it appears to confirm Drakon has been modified to fit a Vertical Multi Purpose Lock (VMPL) which can take Special Forces equipment and vertically launched missiles.
ReplyDeleteTranslation is:
“Sure! "On December 23, 2019, [German] State Secretary Nußbaum answered a small question from the left on behalf of the [German] Ministry of Economic Affairs. In his answer to question 30, he announced that the [German] Federal Government would in the first half of 2019 convert a submarine under construction for Israel with export credit guarantees in the amount of 88 million euros.
This guarantee applies to the 6th Dolphin submarine [Drakon], which [in December 2019 was] still under construction and is to be delivered much later due to Israel's conversion requests [for a hull] section that can be used to perform multiple tasks. Additional special forces can be deployed from [that section] or, for example, missiles can be launched vertically. A more detailed description can be found here.
Whether the additional costs for the conversion or the equipment of the future [Dolphin 3?] FINS generation of Israeli U -Boote will also lead to an increase in the German financial contribution to these procurement projects is not yet known". https://www.bits.de/ "Berlin Information-center Transatlantic Security" Original contribution of 13. December 2019"
Oleg added in English
"Germany–Israel relations need to monitor the primary source.
Regards
P.S. I wish you health and courage. I know the feeling, alas..."
Pete Comment:
Thanks Oleg I appreciate your good wishes. I hope you stay healthy also. :)
Thanks Oleg at 4/26/2023 9:40 AM
ReplyDeleteIt will probably take an official leak from Germany and/or Israel to shed light on what type of VLS Drakon and then the Dakar-class/Dolphin 3s will have.
"AIP of the new generation, 2.5 times lighter, without the use of metallhydride for production hydrogen." is very interesting. It may allow Drakon the Dakar-class/Dolphin 3s and Type 212CDs to in future stay continuously fully submerged for 2 months? In the case of Israel's Dolphins this would strengthen the SSB second strike aspect of Israel's nuclear triad.
Regards Pete
Israel Independence Day 75! 25.04.2023, 9:30 the submarine INS "Dragon" was launched from the dock. Waiting for photos! Regards, Oleg.
ReplyDeleteHi Oleg at 4/27/2023 12:37 AM
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering whether the Israeli Navy would permit Israeli or German photographers to do "birdseye view" photos from the top down that would reveal any single missile VLS silo hatches or a VMPL hatch?
I suspect the Israeli submarine corps (which doesn't even reveal the faces of active Israeli submarine offices) would redact photos in order to obscure hatch details.
Regards Pete