German yard launches Israeli Navy's sixth Dolphin-class submarine

German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) launched the future INS Drakon ("Dragon"), a Dolphin-class diesel-electric submarine ordered by the Israeli Navy, at its Kiel facilities in a ceremony on Tuesday, November 12.

The future Drakon is the sixth boat in the Dolphin-class, which was developed with Israeli assistance. All boats in the class were built entirely in Germany exclusively for the Israeli Navy.

Upon completion, the submarine will have a length of 68.6 metres, a beam of 6.8 metres, a draught of 6.2 metres, a maximum speed of 25 knots, and a crew complement of 35. Armament will include torpedoes and mines, though the fitted torpedo tubes may also be used for the deployment of swimmer delivery vehicles.

The future Drakon was originally named Dakar in honour of an earlier Israeli Navy submarine that was lost at sea along with its entire crew in early 1968 barely two months after it was commissioned into service.

The families of the crew of the first Dakar had protested against the name being used for the newer Dolphin-class submarine, stating that the "recycling" of the name would only disrespect the memory of the lost sailors. Navy officials agreed to respect the families' wishes and the name Drakon was consequently chosen as a compromise, partly because the words "Drakon" and "Dakar" are written in Hebrew using the same letters.

The launch of the future Drakon occurred on the same day that TKMS began construction of the Israeli Navy's first Dakar-class submarine. This new class of submarines will also be diesel-electric powered but will be fitted with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems and will also be capable of launching anti-ship missiles and ballistic missiles.