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Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=38279
Israel's Dolphin Submarines
(Israel Hayom) Aharon Lapidot - Col. (res.) Michael Kesari headed Israel's Dolphin submarine project in Germany for four years. He said, "In order to secure Israel's naval arena, six submarines are needed, which provide, on average, four operational submarines at all times. Put one Dolphin submarine near an unfriendly port, and every vessel that tries leaving it can be sunk....Considering the fact that in Syria, for example, there are two primary ports, Latakia and Tartus, the importance of these submarines is very clear." The very fact that you have submarines obligates your enemy to invest a fortune in countermeasures: detection systems, frigates, mines, and helicopters. The Dolphin submarines, which were built in Germany, were the first to allow Israel the opportunity to determine its features and characteristics. "The Dolphin is the best conventional submarine in the world. It is a winning combination of original Israeli thinking and German technological conservatism, which assures that all the systems work." It is smaller than the American attack submarines from the same class but is more heavily armed. The torpedo is German-made, but many of the weapons systems are developed in Israel. Its sonar system is the most advanced of its kind, and it can remain submerged for days.