Israel’s most technologically advanced submarine, the INS Drakon, is on its way from Germany, expanding the navy’s operational capabilities for years to come.
Israel’s submarine corps has long been the most discreet arm of the IDF, operating far from public view and even farther from the country’s shores. Over the past three decades, the fleet has evolved from the original Dolphin class into the larger, more capable Dolphin II platforms, and now, the recently delivered INS Drakon.
The INS Drakon is Israel’s sixth submarine and is expected to arrive at Haifa Port within weeks.
It was built along with German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and is equipped with “innovative and advanced technologies that place Israel at the forefront of global military technology and will enhance the Israel Navy’s operational flexibility for years to come,” the military said.
The foundation of the country's submarine fleet was laid with the three Dolphin-class submarines delivered between 1999 and 2000: the INS Dolphin, INS Leviathan, and INS Tekumah. Built in Germany and customized for Israeli requirements, these diesel-electric boats were designed around a compact hull, modern sonar systems for their era, and a mixed battery of torpedo tubes.
The Dolphin II class boats are the most expensive single assets operated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The INS Tanin and INS Rahav entered service in 2014 and 2016.
INS Drakon represents the most substantial evolution within the Dolphin II line. Although officially categorized as a Dolphin II submarine, Drakon is visibly distinct.
What is the ‘Drakon’?
According to foreign reports, the Drakon is approximately 73 meters long, around 4.5 meters longer than the earlier Dolphin II submarines.
TKMS has confirmed that it is a “further development” of the class, and photographs released during its launch show a longer hull and a significantly enlarged sail. While nothing has been confirmed by either country or TKMS, the size and shape of the enlarged sail may indicate internal volume for additional mission systems, perhaps vertical launchers (VLS), advanced sensors, unmanned underwater vehicles, or something else entirely.
But due to the secrecy of the technology and the platform, neither Israel nor Germany have disclosed the exact configuration, or any specific new payload.
Nevertheless, the Drakon was designed to expand Israel’s long-range covert capabilities, providing greater flexibility for intelligence gathering and special-operations support. With VLS capabilities, the Drakon would be able to store missiles vertically – increasing the submarine’s weapons flexibility and perhaps even larger or newer missiles to be carried alongside the traditional torpedoes and missiles.
The propulsion system remains diesel-electric with fuel-cell AIP, and the torpedo-tube arrangement is understood to be unchanged. According to a report in Janes, the submarine is equipped with six 533-mm. and four 650-mm. torpedo tubes that can fire up to 16 torpedoes and five missiles.
According to foreign reports, Israel’s submarines had capabilities that were more advanced than other diesel-electric submarines, and are reportedly able to deploy heavy torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, mines, and even special-operations personnel and equipment.
The enlarged sail may also hold new technical systems such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment, communications and electronic systems, or even systems to deploy unmanned underwater vehicles or other payloads. These sorts of capabilities would fit the sort of missions carried out by Israeli submarines.
Their missions, as described in official statements and long-standing reporting, are centered on intelligence collection, covert patrols, and support for special forces. They established Israel’s ability to operate quietly and persistently across the Mediterranean, into the Red Sea, and perhaps even further away.
‘Dakar’ line
With the Dolphin AIP program completed, TKMS is already building the Israel Navy’s next generation of submarines under the three-vessel Dakar program.
Oliver Burkhard, chief executive officer of TKMS, said in a press release marking the send-off of the Drakon that the new Dakar class will be the continuation of the long-standing partnership with Israel, “which is continually evolving in line with the changing requirements of the maritime environment.”
“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,” he said.
Now, with construction underway on the Dakar class, Israel is entering a new phase in its undersea posture, one that will be defined by greater endurance, expanded mission flexibility, and long-range strategic operations.
Like the Dolphin class, with most details about Israel’s submarine fleet under heavy guard and rarely publicized, in February of this year, Elbit Systems released a strikingly vague statement about the beginning of joint work in Israel with the German maritime vessel manufacturing giant TKMS (the successor company to an expanded ThyssenKrupp and the producer of this submarine) to produce “structural components” for future submarines.
As part of the cooperation, Elbit said at the time that it would establish a new manufacturing facility for underwater GRP (Glass Reinforced Polyester) components for submarines.
A bridge for troubled waters
The INS Drakon, on its way to Israel from Germany, appears to be a bridge between two generations of submarines. While it is officially part of the Dolphin class, it is nevertheless moving toward the new Dakar-class fleet. By incorporating new technologies and concepts, it is representing the broader technological transformation of Israel’s most secretive fleet.
In November 2024, at the submarine’s naming ceremony, Salama described the platform as a “force multiplier that would strengthen Israel’s ability to operate in distant and hidden realms for extended periods.”
With the Drakon and soon the Dakar line, Israel’s submarine fleet is entering a new era. The Dolphins established the foundation followed by the Dolphin II subs that extended Israel’s reach, and now the Drakon is possibly introducing new structural and mission-system possibilities and the Dakar class will formalize those advances in a purpose-built design.
In a region where maritime routes are increasingly contested and intelligence requirements are expanding, Israel’s undersea force is becoming one of its most strategically consequential assets – one that is quiet, distant, yet central to its long-range security posture.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report