Israel’s sixth submarine, INS Drakon, held its send-off ceremony this week at the TKMS shipyard in Kiel, Germany. The Israeli flag was hoisted above the submarine, officially marking the beginning of its voyage to Israel.
The ceremony marked the conclusion of Israel and Germany’s joint planning and construction phase, as well as the beginning of the submarine’s voyage to Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday.
INS Drakon is the last of three submarines in the Dolphin-class AIP series purchased by Israel’s Ministry of Defense for its navy.
“The submarine incorporates innovative and advanced technologies that place Israel at the forefront of global military technology and will enhance the Israeli Navy’s operational flexibility for years to come,” said the IDF.
Vice Adm. Eyal Harel, commander in chief of the Israeli Navy, said at the ceremony: “We stand here witnessing the moment when the future submarine of the Israeli Navy, the IDF, and the State of Israel begins its journey home. INS Drakon, together with the three Dakar-class submarines that will join the Israeli Navy, will form a major part of the future of the submarine flotilla, the Israeli Navy, and the IDF.”
Zeev Landau, deputy director general and head of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Defense Procurement Directorate, described the submarine as “a masterpiece of German industry, developed in close cooperation with the Israeli Navy.”
Israel and Germany are “entering a new chapter in cooperation,” he said, adding that the strategic partnership built up between the two allies is “based on shared values and engineering and technological capabilities at sea, on land, and in the air.”
Also attending the ceremony were Rear Adm. Amir Chimney, head of the Technology, Logistics and Material Command of the Israeli Navy; Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor; Vice Adm. Jan Christian Kaack, chief of the German Navy, and representatives of the Israeli Navy, Defense Ministry and the German shipyard involved in the project.
Upon the arrival of Israel’s sixth submarine, a state ceremony will be held at the Haifa Naval Base.
