Met Israel Newest, Most Expensive Weapon: INS Submarine Tanin*

In a commemoration aboard Israel’s 4th and newest submarine, the INS Tanin (“crocodile,” or “alligator”), the IDF on Sunday held a wreath-laying ceremony at the site where 69 soldiers of INS Dakar went down with the ship, in the Mediterranean Sea some 270 miles off the Israeli coast in 1968, the Israeli army said.

“We will guard, protect, and act in any enemy coast, and fight bravely for the navy and the state of Israel,” Adm. Ram Rothberg, said at the event, The Jerusalem Post noted.

Referring to the prowess of the new Dolphin-class craft, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz said that, “Without a doubt, this power, operationally and strategically, is very important for Israel, the IDF and the navy.”

The INS Tanin is the most expensive weapon currently in IDF service, at a cost of over $513 million dollars, and is considered one of the most sophisticated submarines in the world.

“More than four decades passed since INS Dakar’s last voyage… Although the threats have changed, and today you have the most modern equipment, the most advanced technologies, and the most quality means, the mission remains the same mission that the INS Dakar personnel were sent on,  and the responsibility is the same. To protect the Israeli coast, sea waters, and working with all of the IDF’s branches to achieve the relevant goals,” Gantz said.

In addition to the IDF’s top brass, three survivors of the Dakar were aboard: Abraham Szabo, Israel Rosen and Abraham Carmel.

The three, who were supposed to have boarded the submarine, at the last minute received orders to remain dockside and wait a few days before another ship was scheduled to arrive in Israel, according to Israel’s NRG News.

According to the Defense Industry Daily, the diesel-electric attack submarine will be outfitted with its Israeli systems after arrival at a specially-made, secretive dock in Haifa.

The sub is reportedly designed for a crew of 35 and can support 10 passengers. It is said to have a maximum speed of 20 knots, and a maximum range of 2,700 miles (4,500 km).

The craft can fire torpedoes and missiles, perform underwater surveillance, and launch combat swimmers out of wet and dry compartments.

According to Janes, the Dolphin-class subs are reportedly nuclear-armed, possibly with Israel’s Popeye Tubo cruise missile.

The official festive welcoming ceremony is set for Tuesday in Haifa.

The next craft in the fleet, the INS Rahav is scheduled to arrive in Israel during 2015, with a sixth projected to arrive in 2019.

* Notícia publicada a The Algemeiner. Continua el reforç de l'arma submarina israeliana.

German supply ship gives navy peek at new design*

FGS Bonn in Halifax harbour giving sailors, officers a look at the future of Canadian supply ships

Feb 21, 2014 4:17 PM AT

Rob Gordon, CBC News

The German navy has pulled into Halifax with its latest warship to give Canadian sailors a sneak peek at what they can expect within a few years.

The Canadian government has bought the blueprints for the Federal German Ship Bonn and the navy is hoping a promise to supply two to three of the joint support ships (JSS) comes through by 2018.

 

Fregattenkapitan Bjorn Laue, is the commander of the 20,000-tonne supply ship FGS Bonn.(CBC)

The navy's quest for new supply ships has been a lengthy voyage, subject to dramatic course changes and even sudden reversals.
In the early summer of 2013, the federal government announced it was buying the blueprints of an existing supply ship from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Canada.
Construction on the new vessels, based on a German design, will begin in late 2016 with an in-service target of 2019 to 2020 — almost two years later than the last estimate contained in the spring of 2012 federal budget.
That delay could mean the navy's existing supply ships are removed from service before the new ones arrive. That might force Canadian warships to rely on other allies for fuel and ammunition when deployed overseas.
Canadian sailors are previewing the FGS Bonn, because they'll be working on vessels similar to it in the future.
"The Canadian JSS team asked us to come here so they can show the sailors and officers what they will get in a few years,'' the Bonn's commander, Fregattenkapitan Bjorn Laue, told CBC News in an interview aboard the 20,000-tonne supply ship.

Ships to carry food and fuel

The dark grey hull of FGS Bonn sticks out at the navy's dockyard on the Halifax waterfront — not just because of its distinctly un-Canadian navy colour, but also because of its huge size.
The Bonn looks like a merchant ship, complete with large cranes that can easily lift any two of the 73 sea containers the ship can carry. Large platforms, or gantries, hold heavy lines that can pump fuel into warships sailing on either side of the Bonn.
The ship can also carry two to four helicopters and a mini-hospital, built into several sea containers, can be lashed to the deck.
"It was a originally a kind of merchant design but changed for the military," said Laue.
Despite its merchant ship beginnings, the military ships are armed.
"Yes. We have some small guns," said Laue.
Unlike a merchant ship, the Bonn has four 27-mm automatic cannons and Stinger surface-to-air missiles to protect it from missile and aircraft attacks.
FGS Bonn is only lightly armed because it’s not a fighting ship. Its main mission is to supply destroyers and frigates at sea with fuel, ammunition and food.

Aging vessels banned from some waters

Canada's navy is now supplied by two aging vessels that are approaching five decades of delivering food and fuel to the fleet.
HMCS Protecteur and HMCS Preserver are banned from travelling into the home waters of many countries because the ships have single hulls that could allow fuel to spill into the sea if they were damaged.
The new JSS ships, dubbed the Queenston class by the federal government, will have double hulls that would better contain fuel if the ship runs aground or is damaged in battle.
Despite a firm commitment and projected funding from the federal government, the procurement of JSS ships has been rough over the years.
The JSS project started in 2004 with a promise of supplying the navy with two or three all-Canadian designed, state-of-the-art vessels. Those ships were to have the capability of  ferrying hundreds of soldiers and their equipment to a potential hot spot and landing them ashore. The Queenston class doesn't have that feature.
The 2004 JSS vessels should now be in the Canadian fleet but the program was put on hold in 2008 because of rising costs. There is a fear in the navy that any more delays might mean the fleet would be without any supply ships while it waits for the German-designed, Canadian built vessels.
But the German ambassador to Canada says not to worry.
"The Canadian supply ships can be used until 2018 and that leaves plenty of time to build the new ships,'' German Ambassador Werner Wnendt told CBC News in an interview aboard the Bonn.
The Queenston-class ships are part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy and will be built by the Vancouver Shipyards in British Columbia.

 

* Notícia publicada al web de CBC News. Interessant notícia, no només pel Canadà, sinó per recordar que Alemanya, amb discreció, torna a estar capacitada per operacions marítimes a escala global.

German Navy christens third Berlin-class ship*

The German Navy's third Type 702 Berlin-class combat support ship (CSS) has been formally christened Bonn (1413) at Emder Werft und Dockbetriebe.

Managed by the federal office of defence technology and procurement (BWB), the batch of the CSS is being built by a consortium of four dockyards in Fr. Lürssen Werft, Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and Peene-Werft.

The third CSS features improved functional areas as compared to 1411 and 1412 ships and has been designed to support current operational constraints mainly in environmental protection safety.

As a central and flexible support unit, the third ship will help meet the German Navy's worldwide operational needs and also provide protection for the soldiers.

The CSS Bonn design has reduced operation and maintenance costs, creating a financial leeway for the German Navy in future.

Peene-Werft constructed the CSS Bonn hull in Wolgast, while Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft designed its deckhouse in Flensburg.

Emder Werft und Dockbetriebe, subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, had outfitted the CSS Bonn since May 2011 and the ship is scheduled for commissioning by the end of September 2012.

The German Navy currently operates two Berlin-class CSS ships CSS Berlin (1411) and CSS Frankfurt Am Main (1412), which were commissioned in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

Powered by two diesel engines, the Berlin-class frigates feature in-flight refuelling-capabilities (HIFR) and replenishment-at-sea (RAS) systems in accordance with Nato regulations.

The 173.70m-long Berlin-class vessels can carry two helicopters and are equipped with two 24t cranes and an array of 14 medium to small calibre self-defence weapons.

Capable of carrying a crew of 237, the second batch of Berlin-class vessels have a displacement capacity of 20,000t, a beam of 24m and cruising speed of 20k with 45 days of endurance period.

* Notícia publicada a Naval Tecnology. Disposar de naus logístiques per missions a llarg abanst és quelcom vital per qualsevol marina amb voluntat de projecció global. El aquest aspecte encaixa la 3a unitat de la classe Berlín.

Israel Navy to receive fourth Dolphin-class submarine*

The Israel Navy will soon receive its fourth Dolphin-class submarine following the completion of systems integration and sea trials in Germany.

According to Israeli website Walla, Israel Navy commander vice admiral Ram Rothberg and senior Defence Ministry representatives have arrived in Germany in preparation for receipt of the submarine.

Walla quoted a former Navy officer as saying: "Israel's official receipt of the submarine does not mean the vessels will immediately set sail for Navy headquarters in Haifa Bay."

The delivery is part of a 2005 agreement between the two nations that included an option that would allow Israel to request another subsidised submarine.

The Israeli Navy currently has three Dolphin-class submarines, which were delivered between 1999 and 2000 and manufactured by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), a unit of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.

The fourth and fifth submarines were ordered in 2005, for which Germany contributed a total of €333m, which is equal to about a third of the cost.

The submarines under construction will feature a new propulsion system, combining a conventional diesel lead-acid battery system and an air-independent propulsion system used for slow, silent cruising, with fuel cells for oxygen and hydrogen storage.

Designed for coastal patrols, the small, diesel-powered Dolphin submarines are equipped with ten torpedo tubes, can carry nuclear warheads and are capable of conducting long-range security missions along national borders.

Capable of endurances of up to 30 days, the Dolphin-class submarines can carry up to 16 surface-to-surface missiles or torpedoes, as well as submarine-launched Harpoon surface-to-surface missile and ten bow torpedo tubes.

The fourth Dolphin submarine is expected to be operational in early 2013, while the fifth German-built submarine is scheduled to enter into service with the Navy in 2014, according to industry sources.

The new class of submarines are expected to join the Israeli Navy's submarine fleet to replace the ageing Gal-class submarines, which entered service in 1977.

 

* Notícia publicada a Naval Technology. Els submarins de la classe Dolphin, dels quals ja us n'hem parlat en altres ocasions, són una bona mostra de les naus polivalents que necessita Israel. Si bé 10 tubs de torpedes poden semblar excessius, hem de recordar que també són emprats pel desplegament de forces especials.

Germany to deliver sixth Dolphin-class submarine to Israel*

Germany has confirmed the sale of a sixth Dolphin-class submarine to Israel and will finance part of its cost amidst tensions in the Middle East over Iran's nuclear programme.

The sale is part of a 2005 agreement between the two nations that included an option that would allow Israel to request another subsidised submarine.

German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere told a joint press conference with Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak that the cost of the additional vessel will be subsidised but did not disclose details about the financial help that will be provided by Germany on the deal.

"It is part of the budget and is therefore a public action," de Maiziere added.

A senior German official, however, revealed last year that the share of the submarine's cost will be paid from a maximum of €135m ($180m) of funding that was set aside by the German Parliament in next year's budget.

The new submarine is expected to join the Israeli Navy's submarine fleet to replace the ageing Gal-class submarines, which entered service in 1977.

Designed for coastal patrols, the small, diesel-powered Dolphins submarines are equipped with 10 torpedo tubes, can carry nuclear warheads and are capable of conducting long-range security missions along national borders.

The Israeli Navy currently has three Dolphin-class submarines, which were delivered between 1999 and 2000 and manufactured by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), a unit of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.

The fourth and fifth submarines were agreed to be delivered in 2005, for which Germany contributed a total of €333m, which is equal to about a third of the cost.

The two submarines, currently under construction in Germany, are expected to be delivered in 2012.

Image: Israeli Navy's three Dolphin-class submarines were manufactured by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft.

* Notícia publicada a Naval Technology. La renovació i ampliació de la flota sublarina israeliana, i la classe Dolphin concretament, és tota una mostra de que les IDF aposten cada cop més per maximitzar la projecció de força, així com les operacions especials. Tot un avís per l'Iran

Construction of first German 125-class frigate moves ahead*

Construction of the German Navy's first 125-class (F125) frigate has progressed with the laying-down of the first hull section at the Blohm + Voss shipyard, Hamburg, Germany.The laying-down follows a three-year design and management phase, plus a six-month production period on the first hull section.

ARGE F125, a joint venture of ThyssenKrupp Marine System and Friedrich Lürssen Werft, was awarded a contract for production of four F125 frigates in June 2007.

The 149m-long vessel has a displacement capacity of 7,000t and can cruise at speeds of 26kt with accommodation for a crew of 190.

The F125 vessel has been designed for national and allied defence, peacekeeping initiatives, humanitarian rescue missions, and to combat terrorism and defend against asymmetric threats.

Delivery of the first vessel is planned for 2016, with the last vessel scheduled for delivery in 2018.

F125 FRIGATE

The German Navy's new F125 frigate will have the capability to be deployed worldwide for up to two years before returning to the home base and can be in operation for up to 5,000 hours a year, including under tropical conditions.

The main mission of the F125 frigate is taking part in joint assignments, including multinational assignments in network-centric operations. The 5,500t displacement frigate has a new and stealthy design of hull and superstructure, which appears to be based on a highly modified Meko-D configuration.

The German Navy started to plan a successor for the F122 Bremen Class frigates in 1997. The German Navy operates eight Bremen Class F122 frigates, which entered service between 1982 and 1990. The concept of the replacement frigates was originally as a multi-role combatant but, by 2005 the requirement for the F125 was based on a capability to counter asymmetric threats and perform stabilisation operations with lethal and non-lethal intervention. The German Navy announced that the F125 would be armed with land attack systems and air warfare point-defence equipment but would not be equipped with sonar.

In June 2007, ThyssenKrupp announced the Arge F125 consortium had been contracted by the Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) for four F125 frigates. The Arge F125 consortium comprises the industrial leader, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (including Blohm + Voss and Nordseewerke) with Lurssen Werft. Construction began in May 2011 and delivery of the first of class F125 is scheduled for 2016. The final vessel is expected to be delivered by 2018.

F125 crew

Each frigate has two crews of typically 105 to 120 people, who are changed every four months. The number of crew represents an approximately 50% reduction in crew compared to previous generation frigates and is achieved partly through a high level of automation. The frigate also accommodates 50 special forces and their equipment. The special forces' transportation can be two helicopters or four armed boats.

Command and control

In March 2006, EADS was contracted to supply the F125 command and control and weapons deployment system, FuWES (Fuhrungs-und Waffeneinsatzsystem). The contract covered the development and delivery of the system, including the complete software, hardware and infrastructure and the FuWES testing and performance verification for all four frigates.

The FuWES system has an open and modular structure allowing flexibility to accommodate future additional or modified systems. In order to provide tactical data exchange and a high level of interoperability with other joint and combined military platforms, the communications systems, link 11, link 16 and link 22 are integrated into F125 command and control system. The combat management system is operated from the Atlas Elektronik OMADA consoles, designed specifically for the F125.

Integrated bridge and navigation system

Raytheon Anschutz in Kiel, Germany (previously Anschutz & Co, a subsidiary of Carl Zeiss) was contracted in August 2008 for the supply of the integrated bridge and navigation system for the F125 frigates. The integrated bridge and navigation system consists of six multi-function consoles capable of displaying various functions such as two X/S-band radars, two electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS) and NautoConning navigation data which reads and displays in a logically arranged manner and distributes the navigation data.

One of the six consoles is for route planning purposes. The integrated bridge and navigation system encompasses the ship steering and control equipment, a Raytheon ring-laser based dual MINS marine inertial navigation system, two data distribution units and a complete set of navigational sensors and meteorological equipment. A redundant laid out Ethernet bus configuration interconnects the multi-function consoles and sensors.

Weapons

The ship is equipped for defence against air attack and also for land attack. The F125 is also armed with non-lethal weapons, such as water cannons and searchlights for non-provocative deterrence and defence.

F125 guns

The ship is fitted with ten guns, 12.7mm to 155mm, which allow fast automatic engagement. The BWB awarded Oto Melara contracts for the supply of five 127/64 LW Alleggerito lightweight naval guns, four for installation on the F125 frigates and the fifth for training.

The gun is installed on the forward gun deck. The turret of the 127/64 Alleggerito has a low radar cross section. The gun has two automatic feeding devices (AFDs), one for the charges and one for the projectiles, the rounds being automatically assembled before entering the turret, and can fire long-range Vulcano ammunition. The guns have a 35-rounds-a-minute rate of fire and a range of 23km against surface targets and 8.6km against airborne target.

The German Navy has also selected the Oto Melara remote controlled 12.7mm HITROLE naval turret in the naval tilting (NT) option for the F125. The contract covers the supply of 25 systems, five for installation of each of the four frigates and five for installation on land for training.

Missiles

Two quadruple missile launchers for the Boeing RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile are installed amidship on the missile deck forward of the funnel. The Harpoon missiles are armed with a 227kg warhead and use active radar homing. The missiles have a high subsonic speed (Mach 0.9) and a range of up to 130km.

The F125 has two 21-cell mk49 launchers armed with the Raytheon RIM-116 rolling airframe missile (RAM). The RAM point defence missile is a lightweight infrared homing surface-to-air missile for deployment against incoming anti-ship cruise missiles. The forward launcher is installed immediately forward of the bridge and the aft launcher is installed on the roof of the helicopter hangar just forward of the helicopter deck.

Sensors

The frigates have no conventional on-board sonar but instead have a diver and swimmer detection sonar to counter terrorist and special forces threats. The frigates are equipped with a 360° infrared surveillance system installed on the front surface of the tower mast at a position just lower than the air and surface search radar.

Radar systems will include an EADS TRS-3D air and surface search radar, navigation and fire control radars. The TRS-3D radar carries out automatic detection, track initiation and tracking of all types of air and sea targets. The navigation radar is installed on the roof of the bridge.

Countermeasures

Much of the electronic warfare suite has not been announced but it will include four Rheinmetall MASS multi ammunition soft-kill systems. The MASS decoy and mini mortar dispensers are installed on the port and starboard sides above the bridge and on the helicopter hangar roof.

Aircraft

The frigate has a 490m² aft helicopter deck and a hangar for two NH-90 helicopters. The NH-90 helicopters have a range of 790km.

Propulsion

The frigates are fitted with a new combined diesel electric and gas (CODLAG) electrical propulsion system with a 20MW General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine, four MTU 20V 4000 M53B diesel engines providing 3,015kW each (total 12.06MW) and two Siemens electric motors providing 4.5MW each (total 9MW). The main machinery will run for 30,000 hours between major overhauls. The F125 is fitted with bow thrusters for precision dockyard manoeuvring without assistance.

* Apareguda la notícia sobre l'avanç en la producció de les fragates F125, hem cregut convenient penjar-vos també la fitxa tècnica.

Germany Sells Israel More Dolphin Subs*

In November 2005, reports surfaced that that Germany would sell Israel 2 AIP-equipped Dolphin submarines, to join its existing fleet of 3 conventional diesel-electric Dolphin Class boats. In 2006, the deal for 2 Dolphin AIP boats was finalized at a total of $1.27 billion, with the German government picking up 1/3 of the cost. The new boats are built at the Howaldtswerke-Deutche Werft AG (HDW) shipyard, in the Baltic Sea coastal city of Kiel, with deliveries originally scheduled to begin in 2010.

Reports that an additional sale may be in the offing have now been confirmed, but just absorbing these 3 new boats will be no small challenge for Israel’s “3rd service”...

• The Dolphin Class, and Its Improvements
• Contracts and Key Events 
• Additional Readings 

The Dolphin Class, and Its Improvements

Dolphin Class Cutaway
(click to view larger)

The Dolphins are quiet diesel-electric attack submarines that evolved from Germany’s famous and ubiquitous U209 Class. They can fire torpedoes and missiles from their 533mm torpedo tubes, perform underwater surveillance, and even launch combat swimmers via a wet and dry compartment.

Germany had already donated two Dolphin submarines to the Israeli navy after the Gulf War in the early 1990s. The first-of-class INS (Israeli Naval Ship) Dolphin was commissioned in 1999, while INS Leviathan was commissioned in 2000. The Israelis later bought a 3rd submarine for $350 million total, using a 50/50 shared cost arrangement with the German government. INS Tekuma (“revival, renewal”) also entered service in 2000. 

INS Leviathan
(click to view larger)

The Dolphin subs are reportedly designed for a crew of 35 and can support 10 passengers. They have a maximum speed of 20 knots (though as diesel subs, their endurance at speed is limited), and a maximum range of 4,500 km/ 2,700 miles. The submarines incorporate Atlas Elektronik’s ISUS 90-1 TCS for provides automatic sensor management, fire and weapon control, navigation and operation.

Dolphin submarines are versatile and heavily-armed, with a wet and dry compartment for deploying underwater swimmers, and no less than 10 bow torpedo tubes. Four of the tubes have a 650mm diameter, which can launch larger cruise missiles, but are also useful for launching commandos in swimmer delivery vehicles (SDVs). The other 6×533mm tubes can launch STN Atlas Elektronik’s DM2A3 torpedoes or anti-ship missiles (likely Boeing’s UGM-86 Harpoons). Underwater mines offer another option.

It is also rumored that Israel has tested a nuclear-capable version of its medium-range “Popeye Turbo” cruise missile design for deployability from the 650mm torpedo tubes in its Dolphin Class submarines. The 2002 Popeye Turbo launch test location off Sri Lanka suggested that the tests may have been performed in cooperation with India.

HDW’s AIP System

The rumors concerning Israel’s nuclear-capable cruise missiles had stalled additional Dolphin class sales in 2003, as had Israeli issues with the price tag. Israel’s Navy is widely considered to be last among the country’s services on the spending priority list, and so finds itself with less latitude than the Army and Air Force. The final $846 million/ $424 million Israeli-German deal for 2 more submarines addressed Israeli price concerns to some extent, provided a job creation benefit for the German government, and completed the 2nd major long-delayed arms sale that the Schroeder government solidified during its final month in office. [1] 

The AIP system chosen for the 3 newest Dolphin boats (#4-6) has not specified. While HDW owns Kockums AB and its successful Stirling AIP system, it also has its own technology using Siemens PEM hydrogen fuel cells. This HDW system is used in the U212/214 Class, which the Dolphins resemble and which are also derived from the U209 1300/1400 subs.

* Fragment d'un article publicat web de Defense Industry Daily. Considerem important conèixer els submarins de la classe Dolphin, no només per l'aspecte tecnològic, sinó perquè poden ser una de les eines decisives que Israel empri en un conflicte amb l'Iran. S'ha arribat a comentar que podrien ser-hi instal·lats míssils balístics.