Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) has signed an agreement with Israel Shipyards Ltd. (ISL) for the design of an advanced combat vessel for the Israel Navy (IN). The initial design phase will take over a year and is expected to follow with the construction of eight ships at ISL through the 2020s.
The new 76 m’ long vessel will replace the 30-year-old Hetz class missile boats (62 meters) and join four new Saar 6 Magen Class corvettes, and three Saar 5 Eilat Class corvettes, meeting the evolving challenges Israel is facing in the East Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
At a displacement of 850 tons, the Reshef Class mini-corvettes will be based on an extended version of Israel Shipyard’s extended S-72 design, becoming the largest combat vessel to be built by the shipyard. The propulsion system consists of a hybrid comprising diesel or a gas-turbine, combined with electric propulsion, providing high agility at high and low speeds.
[wlm_nonmember]As the larger Magen corvette, Reshef will likely carry a combination of air defense missiles including IAI Barak 8 and RAFAEL’s C-Dome. Such a combination improves the vessel’s self-protection and extends its area defensive capability defending the vessel itself and neighboring platforms against anti-ship missiles and ballistic threats. Another layer of defense consists of three trainable countermeasure launchers replacing the complex array of fixed and trainable decoy launchers currently used on the Hetz missile boats.[/wlm_nonmember]
As with other IN combat vessels, most of the combat systems onboard will be of Israel’s defense industry produce. A dense weapon package is characteristic of the Israel Navy approach, which defined the Saar class among the most heavily armed vessels in the world.
Since the 1990s Israel refrained from building naval vessels in Israel, except for small patrol crafts. Funding the project under Israel’s local budget emphasizes the importance of naval operations as part of the 2020-2025 strategic plan.
“In our joint effort, we have succeeded in raising a NIS budget, which will keep the work in Israel, in spite of budgetary constraints,” Head of the Department of Production and Procurement in the Israel Ministry of Defense, Avid Dadon said.
The investment in the design and construction of main platforms to local defense industries marks a major shift in the IMOD policy. The project requires direct multiyear investments from IMOD local budget, rather than relying on foreign financial support (previous projects received generous funding from the US and Germany). With ongoing domestic procurement of naval weapon systems for Magen corvettes and Dolphin submarines, and growing export opportunities, naval programs become an important growth opportunity for Israel’s defense industries.
In addition to the design of the new corvettes, Israel Shipyard will build a large floating dock that will be able to maintain Israel Navy’s Dolphin submarines (2400 tons) and Saar 6 corvettes (1900 tons). This floating dock will enable raising the ships above sea level to enable the installation of Israeli combat systems onto the vessels and perform regular maintenance work on the vessels. The construction of the floating dock will span over two years at a cost of about $26 million (NIS90 million). The dock will enable the installment of Israeli combat systems onto the ships, following their arrival to Israel. The agreement also includes support and maintenance work for approximately ten years.
A Preliminary Analysis of the Reshef Class Corvette
[wlm_nonmember]The analysis requires Member Access (1220 word report)
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Adopting an advanced, low-observable combat vessel design, the superstructures are designed with slanted, smooth lines with suppressed and submerged exhaust. Like the Eilat and Magen classes, the Reshef Class will have two integrated masts, one of the main superstructure and a second mast at the aft section. The separation of the two masts enables efficient operation and flexible installation of sensors and antennae, operating multiple electronic systems. This design is required to enable the coexistence of multiple electronic systems on a small vessel, such as communications, control and networking systems along with active and passive electronic systems including radar surveillance, intelligence, electronic support, and attack.
Larger and wider than its predecessor, the Saar class missile boat, Reshef will be designed as a multi-purpose light corvette, equipped and armed to its teeth with advanced systems and weaponry comprised of offensive and defensive weapon systems.
While the images released by the MOD depict the use of the rotating electronically steered ALPHA radar on the mast, the main mast is designed to carry the four-faced Adir radar system, offering static, electronically steered antennae which are already used on the Magen and Eilat class boats. This radar provides an improved multi-mission response and is particularly effective in missile defense. A flat deck at the aft is large enough to land an SH-60 helicopter, or store manned or unmanned RHIB, dinghies, standard containers or operate VTOL UAVs. The deck is 10.5-meters-wide and 17-meter long. Unlike its bigger sisters, Reshef will not have a hangar for the helicopter.
The most visible weapon mounted on the forward deck is the Italian 76/62 mm Super Rapid (SR) automatic gun made by Leonardo. This light-weight naval gun provides the flexibility and performance facing air and missile defense and direct fire anti-surface attack. The cannon interfaces with the ship’s combat management system or fires under its own fire control, engaging targets independently or as part of the entire defense plan. The firing rate is adjustable from a single shot to the sustained firing of up to 120 rounds per minute. The 76/62mm SR gun can use standard or advanced guided munitions, including Volcano, guided rounds and DART guided anti-air and anti-missile munitions.
Other distinctive weapons on board are two box-shaped quad launchers packing the Israeli designed Harpoon-sized Advanced Naval Attack Missile also known as Gabriel 5 designed and built by IAI. These canisters point to the port and starboard and are shielded by the vessel’s outer skin thus reducing exposure. Illustrations released by IMOD show a unique flame extractor formed in a lattice pattern that may further reduce radar reflection.
As an advanced attack missile, Gabriel 5 could penetrate the target’s protection, both soft- and hard-kill defenses. It was designed with sophisticated electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) dealing with chaff, advanced decoys, and active ECM. Gabriel 5 and Barak 8 both developed by IAI, are described as part of a combined, offensive and defensive system suite built by IAI’s Missiles and Space division for the Israeli navy and for export.
As the larger Magen corvette, Reshef will likely carry a combination of air defense missiles including IAI Barak 8 and RAFAEL’s C-Dome. Such a combination improves the vessel’s self-protection and extends its area defensive capability defending the vessel itself and neighboring platforms against anti-ship missiles and ballistic threats. Another layer of defense consists of three trainable countermeasure launchers replacing the complex array of fixed and trainable decoy launchers currently used on the Hetz missile boats.
In addition to the main gun, two Typhoon Remotely controlled weapon stations are used, covering the port and starboard. A smaller RWS such as Mini Typhoon could also be used. It provides a stabilized, remotely controlled platform mounting a heavy machine gun and optronics, providing situational awareness, target acquisition and firepower for surface and air defense. In addition, the boat mounts two multiple launcher modules operating RAFAEL’s NLOS guided missiles or loitering weapons of different types. IAI has already introduced the Green Dragon loitering weapon for naval use. Each launcher is equipped with an integral control link enabling quick reconfiguration
of the vessel for specific missions, and simultaneous and independent operation of different weapons.
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