Israel's WMD atom bombs - in the hands of fascists

Headlines : "War on Terror"
Israel's 'nuclear arsenal'
Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:01:42 -0500
Summary:

The Israeli.s are one of the loudest parties calling for the official harassment of Iran in their quest for nuclear power. Meanwhile, Israel hasn.t even signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

It turns out that the "Rogue Power" Europe needs to be worried about is Tel Aviv. It.s believed that the technology currently under development by Israel will have a 5,000 Kilometer range.

From Tel Aviv to Paris, it.s 3295 Kilometers

From Tel Aviv to Moscow, it.s 2646 Kilometers

By Nicole Johnston
Republished from Al Jazeera
While Israel is one of the loudest voices calling for a tougher line on Iran's nuclear programme, its own nuclear capability has never been put to inspection.

Israel has two nuclear research centres -- at Dimona and Soreq. The latest estimates suggest that Israel has produced at least 118 warheads with weapons grade plutonium.

The Jericho ballistic missiles are capable of carrying such weapons.

The Jericho One, which is now obsolete, had a range of 500 kilometres, and could carry a 20 kiloton nuclear warhead -- 20 times more powerful than the US bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

The Jericho Two has a range of 1500 kilometres. It could just reach Iran -- and is believed to be able to carry a one megaton nuclear bomb, which is 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.

It is believed a Jericho Three missile is now being developed -- that will be able to travel around 5,000 kilometres, bringing all of Iran and Europe into its range.
[end excerpt]

Based at Haifa, the Israeli Navy (IN) currently operates three modern, diesel-electric, Dolphin-class submarines. The IN is reportedly interested in acquiring at least two more units. In December 2003, two of Israel's three decommissioned Gal-class submarines arrived in Kiel for refits and modernization at Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft. They are to be reactivated for the IN.[1]

As previous conflicts involving Israel began with naval blockades, Israel's submarine force is viewed as critical to national security. It is intended to exercise sea control over the Eastern Mediterranean and secure sea lines of communication; Israel is dependent on imports of grain, crude oil, and raw materials.[2,3]

Given Arab-Israeli tensions, and the alleged development of WMD capacities by some of its neighbors, Israel increasingly has been devoting funding toward countering these threats.[3] Acknowledging Israel's lack of strategic depth, its officials have pointed out that only submarines can provide a secure weapons platform in the future.[2] While HDW has stated that Israel's Dolphin-class submarines were equipped with weapon systems similar to those installed on other diesel-electric submarines,[4] various sources have reported that upon their arrival in Israel, the submarines were modified, and fitted with cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads.[5]

Some reports suggest that Israel has adapted Harpoon cruise missiles, which have a range of 130 kilometers, to carry an indigenously developed nuclear warhead and guidance system, though other experts argue that such modifications to a Harpoon missile are not feasible.[6] Others believe that Israel has developed an indigenous cruise missile with a range of 320 kilometers that is believed to be a version of Rafael Armament Development Authority.s Popeye turbo cruise missile.[7] Still others believe that the missile may be a version of the Gabriel 4LR that is produced by Israel Aircraft Industries. Once encapsulated, it could be launched in 533mm torpedo tubes similar to the Harpoon.[8] Such speculation was further fueled by an unconfirmed test of a nuclear-capable, submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM) in the Indian Ocean in 2000. Some reports claimed targets 1,500 kilometers away were hit.[7,9] Such a range, however, implies an entirely new type of missile.[7,8,10] However, the Israeli Defense Forces denies any such missile tests.[7,11]

In June 2002, former State Department and Pentagon officials confirmed that the U.S. Navy observed Israeli missile tests in the Indian Ocean in 2000, and that the Dolphin-class vessels have been fitted with nuclear-capable cruise missiles of a new design.[8] Israel issued new denials, albeit in an indirect manner.[9] In October 2003, unidentified senior U.S. and Israeli officials were quoted as saying that Israel had successfully modified nuclear warheads to fit its Harpoon missiles.[12]

Whatever the missile currently arming Israel's Dolphin-class submarines, it seems clear that Israel is interested in the acquisition of new cruise missiles. Its request for U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles was rejected by the Clinton administration in 2000, since such a sale would have violated the Missile Technology Control Regime, which prohibits the transfer of missiles with a range exceeding 300 kilometers.[5] However, it is likely only a matter of time before Israel is capable of mounting nuclear weapons on its submarine-launched missiles, if it has not done so already.

Therefore, it is no surprise that the arming of Israel's submarines has received a great deal of attention. The Dolphin-class was designed in accordance with Israeli demands, and includes a "wet and dry" compartment for special operations as well as four 650mm torpedo tubes, which could be used for Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs).[13] However, the German Defense Ministry has stated that these larger tubes were intended to fire Harpoons. Upon delivery to Israel, liners were to be fitted to decrease the diameter of the tubes to accommodate the 533mm Harpoon containers. However, the Dolphin-class is equipped with six 533mm torpedo tubes as well, which are capable of launching Harpoons.[14] It seems possible, therefore, that the 650mm tubes might have been designed to accommodate indigenously built, long-range SLCMs. The German government has acknowledged that it could not rule out different equipment being installed on the submarines.[15]

The IN has long been interested in acquiring at least two additional submarines, ideally of the same type.[16] In November 2005, outgoing German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder approved the sale of two Dolphin-class submarines to Israel for a total of .1 billion ($1.17 billion USD).[18] Berlin is ready to provide up to .333 million in funding from the German federal budget. The new boats will be equipped with 650mm torpedo tubes.again leading to much speculation that the Israelis intend to outfit the submarines with nuclear-armed cruise missiles.[19] For more information on Israeli submarine imports, see the Israel: Import Behavior file.

Before obtaining the Dolphins, the IN depended upon three Gal-class submarines, designed by Germany for Israel, and constructed at the Vickers Shipyard in the United Kingdom in 1973-77. The Gal-class is a modified Type 206A coastal submarine. The Gals were decommissioned when the Dolphins were commissioned into the IN, and Israel had planned to sell the vessels. However, Israel eventually decided not to sell the submarines; instead, it will recommission them after they have been modernized by HDW.[7]

Dolphin
Displacement, metric tons: 1,640 surfaced
1,900 submerged
Dimensions, ft (m): 188 × 22.3 × 20.3
(57.3 × 6.8 × 6.2)
Main machinery: diesel-electric
Speed, knots: 11 snorting
20 submerged
Complement: 30 (including 6 officers)
Diving depth, ft (m): 1,150 (350)
Endurance: 30 days
Weapons: 5 SSM/SLCMs and 16 torpedoes; four 25.6" (650mm) and six 21" (533mm) tubes; mines in lieu of torpedoes

Israel: The Israeli Navy and Iran
July 15, 2009 1354 GMT
Israeli submarines and surface combatants reportedly are passing through the Suez Canal.