German shipbuilder TKMS and the Israeli Navy held a ceremony to bid farewell to the INS Drakon, which departed Kiel and is now en route to Israel.
As disclosed, INS Drakon is the third and final submarine of the HDW Dolphin class with AIP propulsion, one of the most complex submarine classes TKMS has ever built. he submarine incorporates innovative and advanced technologies.
The submarine’s departure was accompanied by a large-scale security operation led by the Ministry of Defense’s Security Department in cooperation with German security forces. Upon the arrival of Israel’s sixth submarine, a state ceremony will be held at the Haifa Naval Base.
With its departure, the Dolphin AIP program is complete.
“With the departure of the ‘INS DRAKON,’ we are successfully concluding a challenging program that was characterized over many years by trust, technological expertise, and shared responsibility. Israel is an important partner for us in the maritime sector. With the ‘DAKAR’ class, we are continuing our collaboration and demonstrating that TKMS not only develops complex naval programs but also reliably brings them to fruition," Oliver Burkhard, CEO of TKMS, said.
In parallel with the completion of the “Dolphin AIP” program, work is progressing on the Dakar class, the next generation of submarines for the Israeli Navy. Production of the first submarine in this class began several years ago.
TKMS and the Israeli Navy share a relationship that has grown over decades and has become an integral part of defense cooperation between Germany and Israel. Several generations of naval vessels for the Israeli Navy, including Dolphin-class submarines and Sa’ar 6-class corvettes, have already been built at the company’s shipyards.