Israel Navy Welcomes Sixth Advanced Submarine, 'Dragon'

Israel's navy officially received its sixth submarine, the INS "Drakon" (Dragon), during a ceremony at the naval base in Haifa on Thursday, September 24. The vessel completed a 24-day journey from Germany to reach Israel.

Attending the ceremony were President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Navy Commander Eyal Harel. President Herzog highlighted the submarine's significance, stating it and future vessels represent a "brilliant future for our fleet," promising "innovation, broader operational capabilities, and immense power" for Israel, deployable "even thousands of kilometers from the country's borders."

Defense Minister Katz directed a message to Iran, calling the submarine's arrival an "important signal" to those threatening Israel, particularly the "deadly ayatollah regime in Tehran." He emphasized that "distance provides no immunity" to Israel's enemies.

The INS "Drakon" is the third and final submarine in the Dolphin AIP series acquired by the Defense Ministry. It incorporates advanced technologies that position Israel at the forefront of global military technology and significantly enhance the navy's operational flexibility. The acquisition process faced delays and concerns, including restrictions from Norway and Denmark on the submarine entering their waters for training, forcing Israeli and German crews to conduct exercises between Sweden and Denmark.

The submarine's arrival comes as Israel's navy faces growing regional challenges, particularly from Turkey and Egypt. Military sources noted that the navy must expand its capabilities to meet these evolving threats, acknowledging that the current fleet is relatively small compared to recent regional developments. The INS "Drakon" was ordered 14 years ago and will become fully operational after Israeli systems are installed, a process expected to take about two months following its arrival.