Soon after the end of World War II, many industrialized nations entered the “nuclear race”. This right was limited to the countries recognized as aggressors as a result of the war and occupied by the military contingents of the states of the anti-Hitler coalition. Initially, the atomic bomb was seen as a kind of superweapon designed to eliminate strategically important targets - administrative and military-industrial centers, large naval and air bases. However, with the increase in the number of nuclear charges in the arsenals and their miniaturization, nuclear weapons began to be considered as a tactical means of destroying equipment and manpower on the battlefield. Even one nuclear charge, applied at the right time and in the right place, made it possible to disrupt the offensive of many times superior enemy armies or, on the contrary, facilitate the breakthrough of the enemy's deeply echeloned defense. Also, work was actively carried out on the creation of "special" warheads for torpedoes, depth charges, anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. The sufficiently high power of tactical nuclear charges made it possible, with a minimum number of carriers, to solve the tasks of destroying entire squadrons of warships and air groups. At the same time, it was possible to use relatively simple guidance systems, the low accuracy of which was compensated for by a significant affected area.
Since its inception, the State of Israel has been in a hostile environment and has been forced to spend significant resources on defense. The Israeli leadership closely monitored global trends in the development of weapons of warfare and could not ignore the ever-increasing role of nuclear weapons. The initiator of the Israeli nuclear program was the founder of the Jewish state, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. After the end of the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, in which Israel was opposed by the Egyptian and Jordanian armies, Ben-Gurion came to the conclusion that in the conditions of the multiple numerical superiority of the Arab forces, only an atomic bomb can guarantee the country's survival. It will be insurance in the event that Israel can no longer compete with the Arabs in the arms race, and can become a "last resort" weapon in an emergency. Ben-Gurion hoped that the very fact of the presence of a nuclear bomb in Israel would be able to convince the governments of hostile countries to abandon the attack, which in turn would lead to peace in the region. The Israeli government proceeded from the premise that defeat in the war would lead to the physical elimination of the Jewish state.
Apparently, the first detailed technical information regarding fissile materials and the technology of creating an atomic bomb was received from the physicist Moshe Surdin who came from France. Already in 1952, the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission was officially created, which was entrusted with the responsibility for the formation of the scientific and technical potential necessary for the creation of an atomic bomb. The commission was headed by the outstanding physicist Ernst David Bergman, who moved to Palestine after Hitler came to power. When Israel's independence was proclaimed, he founded and headed the IDF research service. Becoming the head of nuclear research, Bergman took decisive measures to deploy not only scientific, but also design work.
However, in the 50s, Israel was a very poor country, whose material and financial resources, scientific, technological and industrial opportunities were very limited. By the time the research began, the Jewish state did not have nuclear fuel and most of the necessary instruments and assemblies. Under the existing conditions, it was impossible to create an atomic bomb on their own in the foreseeable future, and the Israelis demonstrated miracles of dexterity and resourcefulness, acting not always with legitimate methods, even against their allies.
The first research nuclear reactor with a capacity of 5 MW in 1955 was installed near Tel Aviv in the settlement of Nagal Sorek. The reactor was obtained from the United States as part of the Atoms for Peace program announced by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This low-power reactor could not produce weapons-grade plutonium in significant quantities, and was mainly used for training specialists and testing methods for handling radioactive materials, which later came in handy when deploying large-scale research. However, despite persistent requests, the Americans refused to provide nuclear fuel and equipment that could be used in the nuclear weapons program, and in the second half of the 50s, France became the main source of materials and nuclear technology.
After Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser blocked shipping on the Suez Canal, the French hoped that the IDF could drive the Egyptians out of the Sinai and open the canal. In this regard, since 1956, France began to carry out large-scale supplies of equipment and weapons to Israel. Representatives of the Israeli military intelligence AMAN managed to agree on nuclear compensation to Israel for its participation in the war. Although Israeli troops occupied the Sinai Peninsula in 4 days and reached the canal, the French and British did not achieve their goal, and in March 1957 the Israelis also left Sinai. However, the French complied with the agreement, and in October 1957 an agreement was signed to supply a 28 MW heavy water moderated reactor and technical documentation. After the work entered the phase of practical implementation, a new "nuclear" special service was created in Israel, whose tasks were to ensure complete confidentiality of the nuclear program and supply it with intelligence. Benjamin Blamberg became the head of the service, called the Bureau of Special Tasks. The construction of the reactor began in the Negev desert, not far from the city of Dimona. At the same time, as part of a disinformation campaign, a rumor was spread about the construction of a large textile enterprise here. However, it was not possible to hide the true purpose of the work, and this caused a serious international response. The publicity led to a delay in the launch of the reactor, and only after Ben-Gurion, during a personal meeting with Charles de Gaulle, assured him that the reactor would only carry out the functions of power supply, and the production of weapons-grade plutonium in it was not envisaged, was the delivery of the last batch of equipment and fuel cells.
The EL-102 reactor received from France could produce about 3 kg of weapons-grade plutonium within a year, which was enough to produce one implosion-type nuclear charge with a capacity of about 18 kt. Of course, such volumes of nuclear material could not satisfy the Israelis, and they took steps to modernize the reactor. At the cost of considerable effort, Israeli intelligence was able to negotiate with the French firm Saint-Gobain on the supply of technical documentation and equipment necessary to increase the production of plutonium. Since the modernized reactor required additional nuclear fuel and equipment for its enrichment, Israeli intelligence successfully carried out a number of operations, during which everything needed was extracted.
The United States became the main source of sophisticated technological equipment and special-purpose products. In order not to arouse suspicion, various components were ordered from different manufacturers in parts. However, at times, Israeli intelligence has acted in a very extreme manner. Thus, the FBI agents revealed a shortage in the warehouses of the MUMEK corporation, located in Apollo (Pennsylvania), which supplied about 300 kg of enriched uranium with nuclear fuel to American nuclear power plants. During the investigation, it turned out that the famous American physicist, Dr. Solomon Shapiro, who was the owner of the corporation, came into contact with the representative of the "Bureau of Special Tasks" Abraham Hermoni, smuggled uranium to Israel. In November 1965, 200 tons of natural uranium mined in the Congo were illegally loaded aboard an Israeli dry cargo ship at sea. Along with the delivery of uranium to Norway, it was possible to purchase 21 tons of heavy water. In the early 1980s, a scandal erupted in the United States when it became known that the owner of the Milko Corporation (California) had illegally sold 10 cryotones, electronic devices that are used in detonators of nuclear weapons.
For many years, Israel has secretly collaborated with South Africa in the nuclear field. In the 60s and 70s, the Republic of South Africa intensively created its own nuclear bomb. Unlike Israel, there were plenty of natural raw materials in this country. There was a mutually beneficial exchange between the countries: uranium for technology, equipment and specialists. Looking ahead, we can say that the result of this mutually beneficial cooperation was a series of powerful light bursts recorded by the American satellite Vela 6911 on September 22, 1979 in the South Atlantic, near the Prince Edward Islands. It is widely believed that this was a test of an Israeli nuclear charge with a capacity of up to 5 kt, possibly carried out in conjunction with South Africa.
The first reports that Israel had begun producing nuclear weapons appeared in a CIA report in early 1968. According to American estimates, three atomic bombs could have been assembled in 1967. In September 1969, a meeting was held at the White House between US President Richard Nixon and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. It is not known what the parties agreed on during this meeting, but here is what Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said in a later conversation with the president:
“During your private conversations with Golda Meir, you stressed that our main task was to ensure that Israel did not make the visible introduction of nuclear weapons and did not carry out nuclear testing programs.”
In fact, the negotiations between Golda Meir and Richard Nixon consolidated a provision that has been observed to this day. Israel's policy in terms of nuclear weapons has become non-recognition of their presence and the absence of any public steps to demonstrate them. In turn, the United States pretends not to notice Israel's nuclear potential. Robert Satloff, Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Middle East Policy, put it very accurately on US-Israeli nuclear weapons relations:
"Essentially, the deal was for Israel to keep its nuclear deterrent deep in the basement, while Washington kept its criticism locked in a closet."
One way or another, Israel has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, although Israeli officials have never confirmed its existence. At the same time, some statements can be interpreted as you like. Thus, the fourth president of Israel, Ephraim Katzir (1973-1978), put it very mysteriously:
"We will not be the first to use nuclear weapons, but we will not be the second either."
Doubts about the presence of a nuclear potential in Israel were finally dispelled after in 1985 the fugitive technician of the Israeli nuclear center "Moson-2" Mordechai Vanunu handed over 60 photographs to the English newspaper The Sunday Times and made a number of oral statements. According to information voiced by Vanunu, the Israelis have brought the power of the French reactor at Dimona to 150 MW. This made it possible to ensure the production of weapons-grade plutonium in an amount sufficient to produce at least 10 nuclear weapons annually. A facility for reprocessing irradiated fuel was built at the Dimona nuclear center with the assistance of French firms in the early 1960s. It can produce from 15 to 40 kg of plutonium per year. According to expert estimates, the total volume of fissile materials produced in Israel before 2003, suitable for creating nuclear charges, exceeds 500 kg. According to Vanunu, the nuclear center in Dimona includes not only the Moson-2 plant and the Moson-1 reactor complex itself. It also houses the Moson-3 facility for the production of lithium deuteride, which is used for the production of thermonuclear charges, and the Moson-4 center for processing radioactive waste from the Moson-2 plant, research complexes for centrifugal and laser enrichment uranium "Moson-8" and "Moson-9", as well as the plant "Moson-10", which produces blanks from depleted uranium for the manufacture of cores for 120-mm armor-piercing tank shells.
After examining the pictures, authoritative experts have confirmed that they are genuine. An indirect confirmation that Vanunu told the truth was the operation carried out by the Israeli special services in Italy, as a result of which he was kidnapped and secretly taken to Israel. For "betrayal and espionage" Mordechai Vanunu was sentenced to 18 years in prison, of which he spent 11 years in strict isolation. After serving his full sentence, Vanunu was released in April 2004. However, he still cannot leave the territory of Israel, visit foreign embassies, and he is obliged to report on planned movements. Mordechai Vanun is prohibited from using the Internet and mobile communications, as well as from communicating with foreign journalists.
Based on the information made public by Mordechai Vanunu and the estimates of nuclear physicists, American experts concluded that since the first unloading of plutonium from the nuclear reactor in Dimona, sufficient fissile material has been obtained to produce more than 200 nuclear charges. By the beginning of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the Israeli military could have 15 nuclear warheads, in 1982 - 35, by the start of the anti-Iraqi campaign in 1991 - 55, in 2003 - 80, and in 2004 the production of nuclear warheads was frozen. According to the RF SVR, Israel could potentially produce up to 20 nuclear warheads in the period from 1970-1980, and by 1993 - from 100 to 200 warheads. According to former US President Jimmy Carter, expressed in May 2008, their number is "150 or more." In modern Western publications on nuclear weapons in the Jewish state, most often refer to data published in 2013 in the British profile publication "Nuclear Research Bulletin". In it, nuclear weapons experts Hans Christensen and Robert Norris argue that Israel has about 80 nuclear warheads at its disposal, with the fissionable materials needed to produce between 115 and 190 warheads.
Israel's dependence on uranium supplies from abroad has now been completely overcome. All the needs of the nuclear weapons complex are met by extracting radioactive raw materials during the processing of phosphates. According to data published in an open report of the RF SVR, uranium compounds can be released at three enterprises for the production of phosphoric acid and fertilizers as a by-product in the amount of up to 100 tons per year. The Israelis patented the laser enrichment method back in 1974, and in 1978 an even more economical method of separating uranium isotopes was applied, based on the difference in their magnetic properties. The available reserves of uranium, while maintaining the current rate of production in Israel, are sufficient to meet their own needs and even export for about 200 years.
According to data published in open sources, there are the following nuclear facilities on the territory of the Jewish state:
- Nahal Sorek - the center for scientific and design development of nuclear warheads. There is also an American-made research nuclear reactor.
- Dimona - weapons-grade plutonium production plant.
- Yodefat - an object for the assembly and dismantling of nuclear warheads.
- Kefar Zekharya - nuclear missile base and nuclear weapons depot.
- Eilaban is a warehouse for tactical nuclear warheads.
From the very beginning of the construction of their nuclear facilities, the Israelis have paid a lot of attention to their protection. According to data published in foreign sources, some of the structures are hidden underground. Many important parts of the Israeli nuclear complex are protected by concrete sarcophagi that can withstand an aerial bomb hit. In addition, the nuclear facilities are implementing security measures unprecedented even by Israeli standards and the strictest secrecy regime. Air and missile strikes must repel the Patriot air defense missile system batteries and the Iron Dome, Hetz-2/3 and David's Sling missile defense systems. In the immediate vicinity of the nuclear research center in Dimona on Mount Keren, an American-made AN / TPY-2 radar is located, designed to fix the launches of ballistic missiles at a distance of up to 1000 km at a scanning angle of 10-60 °. This station has good resolution and is able to distinguish targets against the background of the debris of previously destroyed missiles and separated stages. In the same area, there is a radar position located on a JLENS balloon.
The radar antenna and optoelectronic equipment are lifted by a tethered balloon to a height of several hundred meters. The JLENS system's detection means allow early warning of the approach of enemy aircraft and cruise missiles long before they are detected by ground-based radar stations and makes it possible to significantly expand the control zone in the area of the nuclear center.
Taking into account the technological level of the Israeli industry, it is safe to say that the weight and size characteristics and the coefficient of technical reliability of the nuclear charges assembled in Israel are at a fairly high level. The weak point of the Israeli nuclear program is the impossibility of conducting nuclear tests. However, it can be assumed that, given the close American-Israeli defense ties, Israeli nuclear warheads could be tested at the American test site in Nevada, where these explosions were passed off as American tests. There have already been similar precedents in the United States, since the beginning of the 60s all British nuclear warheads have been tested there. At present, the experience accumulated over decades and the high performance of modern supercomputers make it possible to create realistic mathematical models of nuclear and thermonuclear warheads, which in turn makes it possible to do without detonating a nuclear charge at a test site.
The first carriers of Israeli nuclear bombs were apparently French-made SO-4050 Vautour II front-line bombers. In the early 70s, they were replaced by specially modified American-made F-4E Phantom II fighter-bombers. According to American data, each aircraft could carry one nuclear bomb with a yield of 18-20 kt. In the modern sense, it was a typical carrier of tactical nuclear weapons, which, however, based on the situation in the Middle East in the 1970s and 1980s, was of strategic importance for Israel. Israeli Phantoms were equipped with aerial refueling systems and could deliver their cargo to the capitals of nearby Arab countries. Despite the fact that the level of training of Israeli pilots has always been quite high, the best of the best served in the "nuclear" squadron.
However, the command of the Israel Defense Forces was well aware that the pilots of the Phantoms could not guarantee a close to 100% probability of delivering atomic bombs to their intended targets. Since the mid-60s, the Arab countries in ever-increasing volumes have received Soviet air defense systems and the skill of the crews might not have been enough to evade numerous anti-aircraft missiles of various types. Ballistic missiles were deprived of this disadvantage, but their creation required a considerable time and therefore tactical missiles were ordered in France.
In 1962, the Israeli government asked for a short-range ballistic missile. After that, Dassault began work on the creation of a liquid-propellant missile MD 620 with a launch range of up to 500 km.
The first test launch of a liquid-propellant single-stage rocket (nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer and heptyl fuel) took place at the Ile-du-Levant French test site on February 1, 1965, and on March 16, 1966, a rocket with an additional solid-fuel stage was launched. In total, by the end of September 1968, sixteen test launches were carried out, ten of them were recognized as successful. According to French data, a rocket with a maximum launch weight of 6700 kg and a length of 13.4 m could deliver a 500 kg warhead at a distance of 500 km. In 1969, France imposed an arms embargo on Israel, but by that time the Dassault company had already supplied Israel with 14 fully finished missiles, and also transferred most of the technical documentation. Further work on the program was carried out by the Israeli aviation concern IAI with the participation of the Rafael company. The Weizmann Institute was involved in the development of the guidance system. The Israeli version of the MD 620 received the designation "Jericho-1". Serial production of Israeli ballistic missiles began in 1971 with a production rate of up to 6 units per month. In total, more than 100 missiles were built. Test launches of Israeli ballistic missiles were carried out at a test site in South Africa.
In 1975, the first missile squadron took up combat duty. In general, the Jericho-1 rocket corresponded to the French prototype, but to increase reliability, the launch range was limited to 480 km, and the warhead mass did not exceed 450 kg. An inertial guidance system controlled from an on-board digital computer provided a deviation from the aiming point of up to 1 km. Most experts in the field of missile technology agree that the first Israeli ballistic missiles, due to their low accuracy, were equipped with nuclear or warheads filled with toxic substances. Ballistic missiles were deployed in the mountainous region of Khirbat Zaharian, west of Jerusalem. The Jericho were housed in underground bunkers designed and built by the state-owned Tahal Hydro-Construction Company and transported in wheeled semi-trailers. Operation of the BR "Jericho-1" continued until the mid-90s. They were in service with the Kanaf-2 2nd Air Wing, assigned to the Sdot Mikha airbase.
In 1973, Israel attempted to buy MGM-31A Pershing solid-fuel ballistic missiles from the United States with a launch range of up to 740 km, but was refused. As compensation, the Americans offered tactical missiles MGM-52 Lance with a launch range of up to 120 km.
The Israelis have developed a warhead for Lance, equipped with fragmentation submunitions. Such missiles were mainly intended to destroy anti-aircraft missile systems and radars. However, there is no doubt that some of the Israeli mobile tactical complexes MGM-31A were equipped with missiles with "special" warheads.
A number of experts write that 175-mm long-range self-propelled guns M107 of American production, delivered to Israel in the amount of 140 units, and 203-mm self-propelled guns M110, of which 36 units were received, could have nuclear shells in ammunition. A number of 175-mm and 203-mm self-propelled guns were in storage in the 21st century.
After Israel was denied the supply of American ballistic missiles, in the second half of the 70s began its own development of a new medium-range ballistic missile "Jericho-2". A two-stage solid-propellant rocket with an estimated launch weight of 26,000 kg and a length of 15 m, according to experts, is capable of delivering a 1,000 kg warhead to a range of about 1,500 km. In 1989, the successful test launch of Jericho II from a test site in South Africa took place. South African authorities claimed that it was an Arniston launch vehicle launched on a ballistic trajectory over the Indian Ocean. However, CIA experts in their report indicated that the missile was of Israeli origin. The second missile test in South Africa took place in November 1990. During successful launches, it was possible to demonstrate a flight range of more than 1400 km. However, in 1990, the South African government signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and cooperation with Israel in the development of ballistic missiles was terminated.
According to figures published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), Jericho 2 was put on alert between 1989 and 1993. It is indicated that the rocket can be launched from silo launchers and mobile platforms. A number of sources say that the Jericho-2B medium-range ballistic missile is equipped with a radar guidance system, which significantly improves hit accuracy. According to expert estimates, there may be approximately 50 Jericho-2 MRBMs in Israel. They are expected to remain on alert until 2023.
On the basis of IRBM "Jericho-2" by adding one more stage, the carrier rocket "Shavit" was created. Its first launch took place from the Israeli Palmachim missile range on September 19, 1988. As a result of a successful launch, the experimental satellite "Ofek-1" was launched into near-earth orbit. Subsequently, 11 carrier rockets of the Shavit family were launched from the territory of the Palmachim airbase, of which 8 were recognized as successful. Taking into account the geographic location of Israel, launches are carried out in a westerly direction. This reduces the useful weight of the load put into space, but avoids the fall of spent stages on the territory of neighboring states. In addition to launching spacecraft, the Palmachim airbase is a test site for Israeli ballistic and anti-aircraft missiles.
In 2008, information appeared about the creation of a three-stage ballistic missile "Jericho-3". It is believed that the design of the new rocket uses elements previously worked out in the later versions of the Shavit launch vehicle. Since everything related to Jericho III is covered with a veil of secrecy, its exact characteristics are not known. According to data that have not been officially confirmed, the launch weight of the rocket is 29-30 tons, the length is 15.5 m. The payload mass is from 350 kg to 1.3 tons.
On January 17, 2008, a rocket was launched from the Palmachim missile range, flying 4,000 km. The next tests took place on November 2, 2011 and July 12, 2013. According to foreign media reports, if a missile is equipped with a warhead weighing 350 kg, this missile can hit targets at a distance of more than 11,500 km. Thus, "Jericho-3" can be considered an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Currently, the Israel Defense Forces missile squadrons may have fifteen ICBMs. Apparently, the bulk of Israeli ballistic missiles are concentrated at the Sdot Miha airbase, which is located in the Jerusalem district, near the city of Beit Shemesh. Three missile squadrons armed with Jericho-2 MRBM and Jericho-3 ICBM are based at the 16 km² airbase. Most of the missiles are hidden in underground storage facilities. In case of receiving an order to strike, the missiles must be promptly delivered on towed launchers to launch sites located in the immediate vicinity of the storage site. Military observers note that the capitals of not only all Arab countries and Iran, but also states that do not have any contradictions with Israel are in the zone of destruction of Israeli missiles.
In addition to developing its missile program, Israel is continuously improving other means of delivering nuclear weapons. In 1998, the Israeli Air Force received the first F-15I Ra'am multifunctional fighters. This aircraft is an improved version of the American F-15E Strike Eagle fighter bomber and is primarily intended for striking ground targets.
According to Flightglobal, all 25 aircraft of this type are permanently based at the Tel Nof airbase. Foreign military experts agree that it is the F-15Is that are the main carriers of Israeli free-fall atomic bombs. Taking into account the fact that these aircraft have a combat radius of more than 1200 km and are equipped with fairly advanced electronic warfare equipment, the likelihood of them performing a combat mission is quite high. However, F-16I Sufa fighters can also be used to deliver nuclear weapons. This model is a seriously modernized version of the American F-16D Block 50/52 Fighting Falcon.
In addition to free-fall bombs, Israeli warplanes are capable of carrying Delilah cruise missiles with a launch range of 250 km in the base version. The missile is equipped with a warhead weighing 30 kg, which theoretically makes it possible to place a small-sized nuclear charge. The Dalila turbojet has a length of 3.3 m, a launch weight of 250 kg and flies at almost the speed of sound.
The Israeli Air Force command intends in the future to replace the outdated F-16 and F-15 with the new generation F-35A Lightning II fighters. In October 2010, Israeli representatives signed a contract for the supply of the first batch of 20 F-35 fighters worth $ 2.75 billion. An agreement was obtained from the American side regarding the installation of its own electronic equipment and weapons on the aircraft. At the same time, the United States set a condition that if Israel increases the number of purchased F-35s, then it will be allowed to make more of its own changes in the electronic filling and weapons systems. Thus, the Americans actually authorized the creation of an Israeli modification, designated the F-35I Adir. As part of the arms procurement plan, it was planned to purchase at least 20 more fighters in order to bring their number to 40 in 2020. Currently, Israel Aerospace Industries, under a contract with Lockheed Martin, produces wing elements, and the Israeli company Elbit Systems and the American Rockwell Collins jointly produce weapons control equipment.
The first F-35Is arrived at the Nevatim airbase on December 12, 2016. On March 29, 2018, media reported that two Israeli F-35 Is were conducting a reconnaissance flight over Iran, flying through Syrian airspace. On May 22, 2018, the commander of the Israeli Air Force, Major General Amikam Norkin, stated that the IDF is the first army in the world to use F-35 aircraft to attack, and that these fighter-bombers have already been used twice to strike targets in the Middle East. There is every reason to believe that as the new F-35Is are put into operation, their flight and technical personnel are mastered, and the "childhood sores" are identified and eliminated, the new fighter-bombers with elements of low radar signature, among other things, will be entrusted with the task of delivering aviation nuclear weapons.
In the 90s, Israel ordered the construction of the Dolphin diesel-electric submarine in Germany. The boats intended for the Israeli Navy have much in common with the German Type 212. The cost of one Israeli diesel-electric submarine exceeds $ 700 million. The first two submarines were built at the expense of the German budget and handed over to Israel free of charge as a return of the historical debt for the Holocaust. When placing an order for the third boat, the parties agreed that the costs will be divided between Germany and Israel in equal shares. In 2006, a contract was signed with a total value of $ 1.4 billion, according to which Israel finances two-thirds of the cost of building the fourth and fifth diesel-electric submarines, a third is paid by Germany. At the end of December 2011, it became known about the conclusion of a contract for the supply of the sixth diesel-electric submarines of the Dolphin type.
The lead boat has a length of 56.3 m and an underwater displacement of 1840 tons. The maximum speed under water is 20 knots, the operating depth of immersion is 200 m, the limiting depth is up to 350 m. The autonomy is 50 days, the cruising range is 8,000 miles. The boats received in 2012-2013 were built according to an improved design. They have become approximately 10 m longer, equipped with more powerful weapons and have greater autonomy. Each Dolphin-class submarine is capable of carrying up to 16 torpedoes and cruise missiles in total.
Currently, the Israeli Navy has 5 submarines. All of them are based at the Haifa naval base. In the western part of the port, in 2007, construction of a separate base for the submarine flotilla began, isolated from the piers where surface ships dock. Along with the piers and breakwaters, the submariners received a well-developed infrastructure for repair and maintenance at their disposal.
According to publicly available satellite images, Israeli submarines are quite intensively exploited. Of the five diesel-electric submarines, at least one is constantly at sea. This is partly due to the fact that the Dolphin-class diesel-electric submarines are on combat patrols with nuclear weapons on board. There is information about the presence of Popeye Turbo cruise missiles with nuclear warheads in the armament of Israeli submarines.
In open sources there is very little data on the characteristics of the Popeye Turbo CD. It is reported that these missiles with a launch range of up to 1,500 km can carry a warhead weighing 200 kg. The diameter of the rocket is 520 mm, and the length is slightly more than 6 m, which allows them to be launched from torpedo tubes. The first test of the Popeye Turbo rocket with a real launch in the waters of the Indian Ocean took place about 15 years ago. In addition, there is information that the torpedo tubes of Israeli submarines can be used to launch a naval version of the Delilah cruise missile. Of course, cruise missiles are significantly inferior to submarine ballistic missiles in terms of flight speed and the ability to intercept them. However, for the states that are the most likely enemies of Israel, cruise missiles with nuclear warheads are a strong enough deterrent.
Thus, it can be stated that although the presence of a nuclear potential has never been officially confirmed, a nuclear triad has been formed in the Israel Defense Forces, in which there are aviation, land and sea components. According to experts, the Israeli nuclear arsenal is quantitatively close to the British one. However, the difference is that the bulk of Israeli nuclear warheads are intended for tactical carriers, which, if used against potential rivals of Israel in the Middle East, can solve strategic problems. At the moment, the scientific and technical potential of the Jewish state, if necessary, allows, in a fairly short time period, to deploy a powerful group of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of hitting a target anywhere in the world. And although the available number of Israeli nuclear and thermonuclear warheads is considered sufficient to inflict unacceptable damage on any potential aggressor, their number could be increased several times over the course of a decade. At the same time, the official policy of the Israeli leadership is to prevent the possession of nuclear technologies by countries that conduct a hostile policy towards the Jewish people. This policy was practically implemented in the fact that the Israeli Air Force, contrary to the norms of international law, in the past struck at nuclear facilities in Iraq and Syria.
