TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Israel is reported to be seeking two stealthy state-of-the-art corvettes from Germany to build up its sea power amid concerns that a confrontation with Iran, and possibly Syria, is looming.
There have been suggestions that the German government, if it agrees to aid Israel, could transfer two corvettes already patrolling the eastern Mediterranean as part of a U.N. peacekeeping force in South Lebanon.
The Israeli chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, requested the two warships during a three-day visit to Berlin last week, according to the Israeli media.
He asked the Germans to help finance the cost of the two corvettes, which would be several hundred million dollars.
Berlin is already contributing $750 million toward two Dolphin-class submarines now being built for the Israeli navy at the Kiel shipyards of Howaldtswerken Deutsche Werft.
It already has three operational Kiel-built Dolphins, delivered in 1999-2000. One of these was dispatched to the Red Sea through the Suez Canal in June in what was widely seen as message to Iran.
The Red Sea leads to the Arabian Sea from where the Dolphins could fire cruise missiles into Iran.
German daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung reported Saturday that the Israelis had requested two MEKO-class corvettes, which are built at the Blohm und Voss shipyard in the northern port city of Hamburg that is owned by the industrial giant ThyssenKrupp.
As far as is known, Berlin has not yet responded to the Israeli request. But the Hannover daily reported that "influential politicians in northern Germany" were secretly supporting the deal on the premise that it would help German shipyards get through the global economic crisis.
The 2,200-ton, 275-foot MEKO has a helicopter deck and carries formidable firepower, 16 launchers for land-attack missiles and eight for anti-ship missiles as well as missile defenses and automatic rapid-fire guns.
It carries a crew of 94 and has a range of 4,600 miles with a maximum speed of 30 knots.
According to media reports, the Israeli Defense Ministry had originally considered a corvette built by Lockheed Martin but rejected the $600 million price tag as too expensive.
After looking to Germany, the original plan was to have the order subcontracted to shipyards in Haifa, a major Israeli naval base, where Israeli electronics and weapons systems would be installed.
But with mounting tensions with Iran over its nuclear program, which the Israelis consider poses an existential threat to the Jewish state, the Defense Ministry decided to go for the option that would bolster naval strength in the shortest time possible.
This raised the possibility of Germany providing the two corvettes now off Lebanon, sailing them directly to Haifa for handing over to the Israeli navy.
However, it is not clear whether Berlin would be prepared to do that.
