With the first of four Magen Class corvettes under construction at the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems shipyard in Kiel, Germany, Israel’s Ministry of Defense (IMOD) is preparing the systems to be installed on those ships as they arrive in Israel, beginning in the next year.
As they arrive in Israel those vessels will be fitted with sensors, weapons and combat management systems, most of them from indigenous suppliers.
Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) began placing orders for the combat systems for those vessels.
Oמ August 14 Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced it has entered an agreement to provide part of the air and missile defense systems to of the Sa’ar-6 corvettes. “The procurement of Barak-8 System for the Sa’ar-6 corvettes will expand the operational capabilities of the Israeli navy, including the defense of Israel’s territorial and exclusive economic zone.”
A week earlier Elbit Systems announced the receipt of an Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) order worth US$85 for electronic warfare systems destined for those ships. The contract will be performed over a 10-year period.
The EW systems to be supplied under the contract include digital receivers, signal processing technologies and analysis tools that are all of an open system architecture, thus enabling effective operational capabilities while maintaining flexibility to cope with both current and future threats.
“The increasing demand for our EW solutions is a clear indication for the growing operational importance of advanced and combat-proven EW capabilities in all domains of operational engagement – maritime, land and air.” Edgar Maimon, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Elbit Systems EW and SIGINT – Elisra, commented.
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[/wlm_nonmember][wlm_ismember]The company’s statement said the equipment is ‘combat proven’, meaning these systems were used on other vessels of the Israel Navy. The equipment on order will be the latest configurations of those technologies that were recently declared operational, after successfully completing intensive sea trials. Developed in close cooperation with the IMOD and Defense Research & Development Directorate (DR&DD) and the Israeli Navy. The order of EW equipment for the Saar 6 corvettes follows similar awards to equip other Israeli Navy surface vessels with advanced EW capabilities.
Measuring 90 meters in length and displacing around 2,000 tons the Magen Class is loosely based on Germany’s Braunschweig-class (K130) corvettes, the Israeli design has improved stealth features and combat systems optimized for the defense of Israel’s offshore facilities in the Mediterranean Sea. Israel is concerned about the ability of Syrian and Iranian backed Hezbollah or Palestinian terror groups to attack those strategic sites from the land, sea surface, and undersea. Of the greatest concern are precision-guided rockets and cruise missiles fired from coastal bases in Syria and Lebanon and Gaza.[/wlm_ismember]
According to IMOD, the first ship will be delivered in 2019 and all four ships are expected to be delivered by 2021. The vessels will be called INS Magen (Defense), Oz (Courage), Atzmaut (Independence) and Nizachon (Victory). “We will receive the ships in about two years, each one a few months after the last,” Commander of the Israel Navy, Major General Eli Sharvit said. “The arrival of the ships is expected to significantly change the face of the Navy and particularly our surface flotilla.”
[wlm_ismember]Each vessel will carry a version of IAI/Elta ELM 2048 (MF-STAR) radar and Barak 8 medium range anti-air missile system, along with RAFAEL’s Sea Dome – a navalized version of the Iron Dome counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) system. Both systems will enable the corvettes to defend the offshore sites, and deal with large salvos of missiles and rockets. They will also become part of the country’s air and missile defense.
The boat will also mount the Italian 76mm Super Rapid gun from Leonardo Oto-Melara, This is a modern, light-weight variant of the multi-mission naval artillery system, capable of firing up to 120 rounds per minute at ranges up to 10 nautical miles. This capability is important for simultaneous engagement of multiple maneuvering targets.
Coordinated assaults of swarms of speedboats carrying missiles or explosives, a new technique exploited that have been exploited by the Iranians in the Persian Gulf. Such tactics were already used by ISIS groups in Sinai and could be exploited by Iranian motivated or inspired terror groups in the Mediterranean.
Other features of the boats include sonar, ESM and EW systems and a flight deck and hangar to support SH-60B Seahawk helicopters. The vessel will be operated by a crew of 70 and will have extended operational sustainment at sea, storing fuel and supplies to support an operational range of 2,500 nautical miles.
Foreign press speculations also indicate the boats will be armed with Gabriel 5 anti-ship missiles to maintain an offensive capability for a time of war, but this aspect of the ship’s weaponry remains unconfirmed.[/wlm_ismember]
