Sa'ar 6-class corvette

Last updated

Saar-6-pic0016a.jpg
INS Magen launching a Barak LRAD in its first testfire.
Class overview
NameSa'ar 6 class
OperatorsNaval Ensign of Israel.svg  Israeli Navy
Preceded by Sa'ar 5 class
CostNIS 1.8 billion (US$557 million) per unit (2015 est.)
Planned4
Completed4
Active4
General characteristics
Type Corvette
Displacement1,900 long tons (1,900 t) at full load [1]
Length90 m (295 ft 3 in)
Range4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) [2]
Complement70
Crew70 [3]
Sensors and
processing systems
EL/M-2248 MF-STAR AESA radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
C-GEM RF Active Decoy
Armament

The Sa'ar 6-class corvette is a series of four German-made corvettes ordered for the Israeli Navy in May 2015.

Contents

Development

The ships' design is loosely based on the German Braunschweig-class corvette, but with engineering changes to accommodate Israeli-built sensors and missiles such as the Barak 8 [4] and the naval Iron Dome system. Elbit Systems has been awarded the contract to design and build the electronic warfare (EW) suites for the ships.[ citation needed ]

All four vessels were constructed in Germany in a joint project by German Naval Yards Holdings and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). The first of the class was scheduled to be delivered in 2020. [1] [5] Construction cost was estimated at NIS 1.8 billion Israeli new shekel (NIS) or roughly 430 million Euros ($480 million). [6] Israel will pay for two thirds of the cost and the German Government will subsidize a third of the corvettes' construction costs, as with the Dolphin-class submarines. [7]

Missions

The Lebanese Hezbollah group alleges that Israel's gas fields lie in Lebanese waters. It has threatened to target Israeli gas platforms. [8] An Israeli-owned ship reportedly came under missile fire repeatedly near the United Arab Emirates. The ship was en route to the UAE from Kuwait, according to Channel 12 news. [9] [10]

The Sa'ar 6 has been adopted for maritime protection, anti-shipping and prevent threats in the Israeli exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Sa'ar 6 is also used to defend Israeli shipping lanes in the Mediterranean to import more than 90 percent of goods for Israel. [11] One of their roles will be to protect natural gas platforms in the Mediterranean Sea against possible seaborne terrorism attacks or rocket threats. [6]

Characteristics

The Sa'ar 6 has a displacement of almost 1,900 tons at full load and is 90 m (295 ft 3 in) long. It is armed with an Oto Melara 76 mm main gun, two Typhoon Weapon Stations, 16 vertical launch cells for Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles, 40 cells for the C-Dome point defense system, 16 anti-ship missiles Gabriel V, [12] [13] the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR AESA radar, and two 324 mm (12.8 in) torpedo launchers. It has hangar space and a platform able to accommodate a medium class SH-60-type helicopter. [14]

Israel received the first of four Sa'ar 6-class corvettes, INS Magen, on 11 December 2020; [15] Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems officially handed over the second corvette, INS Oz, on 4 May 2021. [16] On July 27, 2021, the final two ships, INS Atzmaut and INS Nitzachon, were also delivered to the Israeli Navy by the builder. They were to be equipped with radar and weapon systems by the Israeli Navy after their arrival in Israel. [17] In Haifa in September 2022, the vessel's 76/62 rapid-fire main gun was ceremonially accepted for the first two ships of the class. [18]

Ships of class

Sa'ar 6-class corvette
NameBuildersLaid downLaunchedCommissionedStatus
Magen (Defender/Shield) German Naval Yards Holdings & ThyssenKrupp 7 February 201812 May 201911 November 2020Active
Oz (Courage)February 2018 [19] 24 August 20194 May 2021
Atzmaut (Independence)20182019 [17] 23 April 2023 [20]
Nitzachon (Victory)20182019 [17] 12 December 2023 [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corvette</span> Small warship

A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloop-of-war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MEKO</span> Family of warships

The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm+Voss. MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "Mehrzweck-Kombination". It is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics and other equipment, aiming at ease of maintenance and cost reduction.

<i>Dolphin</i>-class submarine Israeli Navy submarine class

The Dolphin class is a diesel-electric submarine developed in Israel and constructed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, Germany, for the Israeli Navy. The first boats of the class were based on the export-only German 209-class submarines, but modified and enlarged. The Dolphin 1 sub-class is slightly larger than the German Navy Type 212 in length and displacement. The three newer air-independent propulsion (AIP) equipped boats are similar to the Type 212 vessels in underwater endurance, but are 12 metres (39 ft) longer, nearly 500 tonnes heavier in submerged displacement and have a larger crew than either the Type 212 or the Type 214.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli Navy</span> Maritime service branch of the Israel Defense Forces

The Israeli Navy is the naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Eilat and the Red Sea theater. The current commander in chief of the Israeli Navy is Aluf David Saar Salama. The Israeli Navy is believed to be responsible for maintaining Israel's offshore nuclear second strike capability.

Saar 4-class fast attack craft

The Sa'ar 4 or Reshef class were a series of fast attack craft built based on Israeli Navy designs grounded in accumulated experience derived in the operation of "Cherbourg" classes. Thirteen were built at the Israel Shipyards, ten for the Israeli Navy and three for the South African Navy. Another six were built for the South African Navy in South Africa with Israeli assistance.

Saar 4.5-class missile boat Israeli missile boat

The Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats is a class of Israeli Sea Corps missile boats designed and built by Israel Shipyards Ltd. as an improved and stretched Sa'ar 4-class missile boat. There are two different subclasses that are both named Sa'ar 4.5. The first subclass was initially called Chochit, but renamed to Aliya. Two Aliya-subclass boats are in service with the Mexican Navy. The second subclass was initially called Nirit but renamed to Hetz.

Saar 5-class corvette Class of Israeli Navy small corvettes

Sa'ar 5 is a class of Israeli Navy corvettes. They were Israeli designed using lessons learned from the Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats. Three Sa'ar 5 ships were built by Huntington Ingalls Industries for the Israeli Navy, based on Israeli designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OTO Melara 76 mm</span> Naval artillery piece

The OTO Melara 76 mm gun, being marketed as the OTO 76/62 Gun Mount, is a naval autocannon built and designed by the Italian defence company OTO Melara. It is based on the OTO Melara 76/62C and evolved toward 76/62 SR and 76/62 Strales.

<i>Sachsen</i>-class frigate German air-defense frigates

The F124 Sachsen class is the German Navy's latest class of air-defense frigates. The design of the Sachsen-class frigate is based on that of the F123 Brandenburg class but with enhanced stealth features designed to deceive an opponent's radar and acoustic sensors. The class incorporates an advanced multifunction radar APAR and a SMART-L long-range radar which is purported to be capable of detecting stealth aircraft and stealth missiles.

<i>Braunschweig</i>-class corvette Stealth warship class of the German Navy

The K130 Braunschweig class is Germany's newest class of ocean-going corvettes. Five ships have replaced the Gepard-class fast attack craft of the German Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel (missile)</span> Anti-ship missile

Gabriel is a family of sea skimming anti-ship missiles manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The initial variant of the missile was developed in the 1960s in response to the needs of the Israeli Navy which first deployed it in 1970. Since then, variants have been exported to navies around the world. The latest variant, the Gabriel V, is in use by the Finnish and Israeli navies as of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Shipyards</span> Israeli shipbuilding and repair company

Israel Shipyards is a large shipbuilding and repair facilities in the eastern Mediterranean. The company also operates a privately owned port in Israel. The company's facilities are located at the Kishon Port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barak 8</span> Medium to long-range surface-to-air missile

Barak 8, also known as LR-SAM or MR-SAM, is an Indo-Israeli jointly developed surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs as well as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and combat jets. Both maritime and land-based variants of the system exist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EL/M-2248 MF-STAR</span> Israeli naval defense radar system

The EL/M-2248 MF-STAR is a multifunction active electronically scanned array naval radar system developed by IAI Elta for maritime installation on warships. It is capable of tracking both air and surface targets and providing fire control guidance. MF-STAR is an acronym of Multi-Function Surveillance, Track And Guidance Radar.

The EL/M-2258 ALPHA is a multi-function active electronically scanned array naval radar system developed by IAI Elta for maritime installation on medium-sized combat ships such as corvettes, frigates and larger vessels. It is capable of tracking both air and surface targets and providing fire control and splash spotting guidance with target classification. ALPHA is an acronym of Advanced Lightweight Phased Array Naval Radars.

INS <i>Magen</i> Saar-class corvette

INS Magen is a Sa'ar 6-class corvette of the Israeli Navy. She is the first ship of her class to be commissioned.

INS <i>Oz</i> Saar-class corvette

INS Oz is a Sa'ar 6-class corvette of the Israeli Navy. She is the second ship of her class.

INS <i>Atzmaut</i> Saar 6-class corvette

INS Atzmaut is a Sa'ar 6-class corvette of the Israeli Navy. She is the third ship of her class.

INS <i>Nitzachon</i> Saar 6-class corvette

INS Nitzachon is a Sa'ar 6-class corvette of the Israeli Navy. She is the fourth ship of her class.

The Dakar-class submarine is a class of AIP-capable, diesel-electric attack submarines ordered by the Israeli Navy from German-based naval conglomerate ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).

References

  1. 1 2 "Israeli Navy INS Magen corvette officially named". shephardmedia.com. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  2. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/israeli-navy-inaugurates-first-saar-6-corvette-59059026 May 2019 Archived 15 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Sa'ar 6 Class Corvettes". Naval Technology. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  4. Opall-Rome, Barbara (4 August 2016). "Israeli Navy Marks Milestones at German Shipyards". defensenews.com. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  5. Azulai, Yuval (11 May 2015). "Israel signs €430m deal for German patrol vessels". Globes. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Israel to arm warships with Iron Dome system to protect gas reserves at sea". i24news. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  7. Zitun, Yoav (11 May 2015). "Major deal: Israel to purchase four patrol ships from Germany to defend gas rigs". ynet. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  8. Kubovich, Yaniv (4 January 2018). "Israel Assesses Hezbollah Can Now Strike Its Offshore Gas Platforms". Haaretz . Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  9. Fassihi, Farnaz; Schmitt, Eric; Bergman, Ronen (6 April 2021). "Israel-Iran Sea Skirmishes Escalate as Mine Damages Iranian Military Ship". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  10. staff, T. O. I. "Israeli-owned ship said attacked off UAE coast amid sky-high tensions with Iran". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  11. GDC (9 July 2021). "Israel Adopts Sa'ar 6 As Maritime Anti-ship Doctrine". Global Defense Corp. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  12. Dombe, Ami Rojkes (29 September 2020). "Sea-to-sea missile test conducted". Israel defense. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  13. Adamcyzk, Ed (25 September 2020). "Israel tests new sea-to-sea missile". UPI. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  14. "Design of Future: TKMS Built Sa'ar 6 Meko A100 Corvettes for Israeli Navy Unveiled", Navy recognition, 23 August 2015, retrieved 27 January 2021
  15. Kanig, Christian (12 November 2020). "Korvette "Magen" kurz vor der Abreise nach Israel". Europäische Sicherheit & Technik (in German). Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  16. Archus, Dorian (4 May 2021). "TKMS hands over 2nd Sa'ar 6 corvette to the Israeli Navy". Naval Post. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 ""INS Atzmaut" and "INS Nitzachon" handed over to Israeli Navy". Sea Waves.
  18. "Israeli Navy Accepts Leonardo Main Gun for Saar 6 corvettes". 15 September 2022.
  19. "TKMS Hand Over Second Sa'ar 6 Corvette To The Israeli Navy". Naval News. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  20. "Larger, more powerful: Navy declares fleet of Sa'ar 6-class warships operational". The Times of Israel . 23 April 2023.
  21. "Navy declares 4th advanced Sa'ar 6-class warship operational, sends one to Red Sea | The Times of Israel".

Further reading