Posted on 01/19/2010 5:21:58 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Israel is discussing the purchase of a sixth Dolphin submarine from Germany, fueling concerns that the Jewish state is gearing up for a protracted conflict with Iran, officials say. The Israeli navy has three Dolphins operational, and all are purported to be capable of launching nuclear-armed Harpoon cruise missiles.
Two other Dolphins are being built for Israel at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyard in Kiel and are due for delivery in 2012.
The new purchase is high on the agenda of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who arrived in Berlin Monday with a team of senior ministers for a historic joint cabinet meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is expected to ask the Germans to underwrite the $700 million cost of a new Dolphin, a proposal likely to meet considerable German resistance.
Berlin, which considers itself morally obliged to help Israel because of the Holocaust, gave the Israelis major discounts when they purchased the other Dolphins. But there's been a global economic meltdown since then.
"We attach great importance to our ties with Germany because of their economic and political impact and mainly because of Israel's security," Netanyahu said before leaving Tel Aviv.
In October Israel was reported to have asked the Germans to provide them, free of charge, two 2,200-ton stealth corvettes armed with anti-ship missiles and other systems capable of hitting land targets.
German daily Hannoverersche Allgemeine Zeitung reported at the time that no decision had been made by Berlin on the MEKO corvettes that are built at the Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg.
Israeli military sources have indicated that the optimum number of Dolphins, the most expensive weapons systems in Israel's arsenal, is nine.
(Excerpt) Read more at spacewar.com ...
I so enjoy these posts of yours. It is good to keep up to date on these things.
Thank You very much for the kind remarks. I try to keep up with the news.
:)
“...fueling concerns that the Jewish state is gearing up for a protracted conflict with Iran, officials say....”
Well, no s**...er...no Obama. Only the loon and his idiot minions would think otherwise. The Israelis are actually intelligent...as opposed to the Kenyan Klod.
Good for you, buy what you can afford.
Then smoke 'em..........
Do not wait for or rely on our TOTUS......he has no brains and is nothing more that a street thug activist holdover from the 60 / 70's.
Do what you have to do. Hopefully, we will correct our situation very soon and then we can both get back on the same page.
LMAO!!!!!!! - good one!
My vote, you get today's cookie!
Good info thank you
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