Officials mum over report Berlin may renege on sub deal. Decision to sell advanced submarine is being reconsidered in light of Israel failure to move forward on talks with Palestinian Authority.
Defense officials have remained silent over a report that Germany could renege on its promise to sell Israel a Dolphin-class Navy submarine, due to Berlin's disapproval of Israeli construction in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem.
According to the report, published on Wednesday in Yedioth Ahronoth, German diplomatic officials said the decision to sell the advanced submarine, which would join Israel's existing fleet of five submarines, was being reconsidered in light of the failure of the Netanyahu government to move forward on talks with the Palestinian Authority.
Defense officials in Israel said they could not comment on the report. Similarly, in an e-mail to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday , a spokesperson for Germany's Merkel Administration wrote, "There has been a long-standing discussion about cooperation regarding military armaments in the framework of talks between the Federal Chancellor and the Israeli Prime Minister. In connection with these talks, confidentiality has been agreed to. I would like to adhere to the confidentiality."
Channel 2 cited foreign media as saying that the submarine was supposed to join the strategic fleet of underwater vessels "that carry nuclear missiles on board."
Israel relies on its submarines to carry out long-range security missions far from Israel's borders.
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#5
"In 2005 Israel ordered two submarines, which are to be delivered in 2011 and 2012. These two new boats are similar to the highly advanced German U212 submarine and feature an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system.
"Israel is currently discussing a possible third submarine with Germany. In 2011, Israel placed an order for a sixth Dolphin submarine to be built in coming years, for which it will pay $1 billion."
This being said, if it was at all possible, Israel should indeed go in with India for subs, likewise try to contract with Sweden, who makes some fine boats. India has the production capacity to make a world class fleet of boats, and quickly.
The idea could even be expanded to perhaps Japan, who while their submarines are okay, could provide state of the art internal systems to make good boats a lot better.
#6
I should add that the US may have the ace in the hole for submarines, however, because of new satellite technology that can "see" through water from the surface to the bottom, thus rendering all submarines, their location, direction and speed, visible.
And, since we can do it, others may soon be able to do it as well.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
