Russia may be spying on Israeli navy, INS Drakon submarine - report

Analysts from the Droxford Maritime Institute published a report on Monday that raises suspicions that Russia is collecting intelligence information on the Israeli Navy. 

According to the report, a ship tasked with espionage missions was found in an unusual area in the North Sea. 

The area reportedly has relatively low strategic importance.

According to the report, the Israeli submarine INS Drakon was in the area conducting a "test voyage" about ten days ago. 

It is possible that the Russian ship collected information on the submarine’s acoustic signature as detected by naval radar.

The INS Drakon is considered the most expensive combat weapon in the hands of the IDF, and each submarine is valued at approximately 550 million euros. 

Sub's specifications kept secret

The submarine became operational in the Navy last summer, and its specifications are kept secret. 

According to the report, at the beginning of the month the submarine refueled, suggesting that it may have embarked on an operational mission recently.

In April, foreign media reported that Israel is developing new missiles for Dolphin submarines, including a vertical launch system. 

If the report is accurate, these missiles, which will be on the new submarine INS Drakon, are ballistic missiles launched from the submarine alongside cruise missiles.

This represents a significant upgrade in Israel's missile capabilities, seemingly involving a new missile with a very long range, possibly a smaller version of the Jericho 3 missile launched from submarines.

According to reports, the Drakon submarine has the capability to launch 4-6 such missiles.