TEL AVIV, Israel, May 3 (UPI) -- An Israeli defense delegation is visiting Germany ahead of the delivery of a fourth Dolphin class submarine, officials said.
On Wednesday the delegation met with German defense officials and was scheduled to visit the shipyard where the submarine, which reportedly is able to carry nuclear warheads, is being built, The Jerusalem Post said Thursday.
The submarine is scheduled to be delivered to Israel within months and is set to be fitted with a new propulsion system combining a conventional diesel lead-acid battery system and an air-independent propulsion system used for slow, silent cruising, with fuel cells for oxygen and hydrogen storage, the Post said.
The Israeli navy has three such submarines in its fleet. Germany donated two after the first Gulf War and shared the cost of the third submarine with Israel. Following the second Lebanon War in 2006, Israel ordered two more submarines, including the one to be delivered in the near future.
In March this year Israel contracted a sixth submarine which is to be delivered by the end of the decade, the newspaper said.
The Dolphin class submarines are considered to be among the most sophisticated in the world and can carry up to 16 torpedoes and cruise missiles and can be equipped with conventional and nuclear warheads.
