Overview
- TKMS handed over INS Drakon and the submarine has departed Kiel en route to Israel, completing the three-boat Dolphin II air‑independent propulsion programme and bringing Israel’s Dolphin fleet to six boats.
- Israel’s Defence Ministry and the IDF say Drakon carries innovative technologies that will expand the navy’s operational flexibility and endurance on missions.
- Open-source imagery analysts have noted an unusually large sail that may house vertical launch tubes for new missiles, but Israeli officials have not confirmed any ballistic or specific weapons fit and the details remain classified.
- TKMS and Israel are already continuing their partnership: work on the next-generation Dakar-class submarines is under way with Dakar reserved for that future class and deliveries planned in the early 2030s.
- The transfer involved coordinated German and Israeli security measures and reflected sensitive naming decisions after relatives objected to reusing the name Dakar; a formal welcome ceremony is planned at Haifa when the boat arrives.