Article Posted on : - Jan 14, 2011

German-made Dolphin-class submarine. Photo: IDF.

JERUSALEM (BNS): The Israel Navy is making advanced preparations to absorb two new German-made Dolphin-class submarines, Israel Defence Force (IDF) journal Bamachaneh reported in its latest issue.

According to the report, the number of soldiers selected for submarine warfare has grown by 30% in the latest IDF recruitment batches, in order to man the additional submarines.

"We're at the peak of a process and we're slowly adding more crews to be trained for the position," Col. Ronen Nimni, Commander of the Naval Training Base, was quoted as saying in the report.

The Israel Navy currently has three submarines, also of the Dolphin class, so the addition of two subs means that the defence force is growing 66% bigger.

The existing three submarines carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles of an unidentified type with a range of 800 miles.

The decision to increase the number of combat soldiers and officers in the Submarine Flotilla will also affect logistics at the Naval Training Base including a need for more spacious rooms for soldiers, more classrooms and more instructors.