Israel’s ability to launch a revenge strike from beneath the sea ensures that no enemy can gamble on a successful first strike.

By Hezy Laing

Israel’s most strategic long‑range weapon is the Popeye Turbo submarine‑launched cruise missile, a system designed to ensure the country’s survival through a credible second‑strike capability.

The Popeye Turbo is a variant of the Popeye missile family, originally developed in the 1980s by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel’s premier weapons manufacturer.

The standard Popeye, also known as the AGM‑142 Have Nap in U.S. service, is an air‑to‑surface missile with a range of 75–90 km and a payload of around 350 kg.

The Turbo version, however, is a submarine‑launched cruise missile (SLCM) with reported ranges exceeding 1,500 km, and it is widely believed to be nuclear‑capable, giving Israel the ability to deliver a retaliatory strike even if its land‑based forces were destroyed.

In service since 2000, the missile is deployed aboard Israel’s Dolphin‑class submarines, which were built in Germany and modified to carry these strategic weapons.

Each submarine can reportedly carry up to ten Popeye Turbo missiles, launched through specially enlarged torpedo tubes.

This capability effectively provides Israel with a sea‑based leg of its nuclear triad, complementing land‑based Jericho ballistic missiles and air‑delivered nuclear options.

The importance of the Popeye Turbo lies in deterrence. Israel faces existential threats from regional adversaries, and the ability to launch a revenge strike from beneath the sea ensures that no enemy can gamble on a successful first strike.

The missile’s range allows it to reach targets as far away as Iran, giving Israel strategic depth and flexibility.

In comparison to other weapons in its class, the Popeye Turbo is similar to the U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile, which has ranges of 1,600–2,500 km, and Russia’s Kalibr missile, which can reach up to 2,500 km.

While the Tomahawk is conventionally armed, the Popeye Turbo is believed to be nuclear‑capable, making it closer in role to Russia’s nuclear‑armed Kalibr variants.

At approximately 4.8 meters in length and weighing over 1,300 kg, the Popeye Turbo is larger than the standard Popeye and optimized for submarine launch.

Its guidance system combines inertial navigation with imaging infrared or television guidance, ensuring precision strikes.

Israel has exported conventional Popeye missiles to allies such as the U.S., Australia, South Korea, Turkey, and India, but the Popeye Turbo submarine‑launched cruise missile has never been sold abroad and remains an Israel‑only strategic weapon.

Ultimately, the Popeye Turbo represents Israel’s most vital strategic insurance policy.

By guaranteeing a survivable nuclear deterrent, it ensures that Israel’s enemies must always reckon with the certainty of retaliation, thereby preserving the balance of power in one of the world’s most volatile regions.