Dolphin class

German-built diesel-electric attack submarines of the Israeli Navy, combining fuel-cell air-independent propulsion, special-forces accommodations, and a widely reported — but officially unconfirmed — sea-based nuclear second-strike role.

Overview

The Dolphin class is the backbone of Israel’s submarine flotilla, comprising three conventionally powered Dolphin I boats (commissioned 1999–2000) and three longer, air-independent propulsion (AIP)-equipped Dolphin II boats (2014–2026). Built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW, now part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems) in Kiel, the six-boat force is unique among Western operators for its oversized 650 mm torpedo tubes and the analytical near-consensus that it carries nuclear-capable Popeye Turbo submarine-launched cruise missiles, giving Israel a survivable second-strike capability. Israel neither confirms nor denies that assessment, and virtually all operational activity is classified. What is publicly known — a 2000 cruise-missile test off Sri Lanka observed by the U.S. Navy, and a 2026 IDF disclosure that a Dolphin operated at its farthest range ever while submarines were simultaneously in three arenas — is detailed below.

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