Israel Plans Euro 1.3 Billion Nuke-Capable Submarine Buy From Germany

Israel is seeking to purchase three more advanced submarines from Germany at a combined price of €1.2 billion, a local newspaper reports Friday.

This planned purchase aims to replace within the next decade the oldest vessels in its existing Dolphin fleet, which began entering service in 1999, Maariv daily reports.

Israel already has five of the state-of-the-art German submarines, with a sixth due for delivery in 2017, Maariv said. Foreign military sources say the Dolphins can be equipped with missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

"The new submarines are said to be more advanced, longer, and equipped with better accessories," the report said.