Currently deep diving test north of Skagen
After a long construction phase and subsequent harbour trials, the third submarine of the Dolphin II class, the INS Drakon, finally began sea trials in the Bay of Kiel on Wednesday afternoon. The eight-hour maiden voyage started in the morning when the 73-metre-long submarine left its berth at the TKMS shipyard in Kiel. Accompanied by the shipyard's own security vessel HDW "Herkules" and secured by the coastal patrol boat "Staberhuk" and the two patrol boats "Sprotte" and "Warder" of the Schleswig-Holstein water police, the latest submarine for the Israeli Navy left the Kiel Fjord for the Bay of Kiel. Initial system tests were carried out north-west of Kiel Lighthouse.
As standard, the propulsion system and navigation systems are tested at the beginning of the shipyard sea trials after compensating on the first day at sea. The diesel-electric powered submarine is equipped with a hybrid drive based on AIP fuel cells. This enables the INS "Drakon" to operate submerged for several weeks. The INS "Drakon" is equipped with six 533mm and four 650mm torpedo tubes. Just like its sister units INS "Rahav" and INS "Tanin", up to 16 torpedoes and five missiles can be deployed from these.
The keel for the third submarine in the Dolphin II class was laid by TKMS back in 2012. At the customer's request, the submarine is said to have been lengthened by 4.4 metres to make room for new weapon systems. At the naming ceremony for the INS "Drakon", which took place in November 2024, images published at the time clearly showed that the tower of the INS "Drakon" had been both lengthened and widened. Since then, there has been repeated speculation in the specialised media as to whether the newly gained space in the rear turret area of the INS "Drakon" could accommodate up to three ballistic missiles or up to eight SLCMs.
The images recently obtained during the shipyard trials and static diving tests do not provide outsiders with any new information about new weapon systems that have been installed in the submarine's turret area. This sensitive area has been covered with blue plastic film since it was rolled out of the TKMS submarine construction hall and is now sealed with a precisely fitting GRP cover. The mystery surrounding the additional combat power of the third Dolphin II submarine thus continues to keep observers of the project in the dark.
At around 17:00 on the first day of the shipyard trials, the INS "Drakon", which is still owned by TKMS, moved towards Kiel harbour together with its escort units. Following the leak tests that had already been carried out, the first static diver trials took place in the dock area. At around 20:00, onlookers were able to observe the first static diver tests of the INS "Drakon" on the Sartori quay opposite the shipyard, which continued until around 07:00 last Thursday morning. On 24 July she returned to the Bay of Kiel, again secured by a massive deployment of the Schleswig-Holstein water police. After completion, further trials were presumably carried out in the direction of Mecklenburg Bay, together with the TKMS security vessel HDW "Herkules" and the water police coastal patrol boat "Staberhuk". On Friday 25 July, the boat moored again at TKMS. Deep water trials began on 28 July. The trials are currently still underway around 30 nautical miles north of Skagen.
Text / Photos: Michael Nitz
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