Although the displacement is only nearly 2,000 tons, the Sa’ar 6 class corvettes of the Israeli Navy are considered to be superior to all opponents in the Middle East.
Israel received the first Sa’ar 6 class corvette
According to defensenews, Israel will take delivery of the first Sa’ar 6 class corvette in December 2020. Israel ordered four Sa’ar 6 class corvettes in 2015, as part of a widespread change in naval doctrine.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the new corvettes will protect more marine areas, a wider range, and longer operating times. IDF expects that Sa’ar 6 will protect the offshore infrastructure, with an area twice as large as Israel’s mainland territory. The discovery of natural gas reserves, coupled with Israel’s desire to protect its exclusive economic zone, were the main drivers behind the decision to order the Sa’ar 6 class corvettes.
The Sa’ar 6-class corvette was built in Germany, based on the German Braunschweig-class corvette. Technical changes will be applied to accommodate the sensors and weapon systems produced by Israel.
Construction cost is estimated at 430 million Euro. Israel will pay two-thirds of the cost and the German government will subsidize a third of the corvettes’ construction costs, as with the Dolphin-class submarines.
Design of Sa’ar 6-class corvettes
The INS Magen will join the Israeli navy first, followed by the INS Oz, INS Atzma’ut and INS Nitzahon, respectively.
The Sa’ar 6 has a displacement of almost 1,900 long tons at full load and is 90 m (295 ft 3 in) long, a maximum beam of 13.2m and a height of 21.5m.
Sa’ar 6 is a stealth corvette. The hull and superstructure are designed to minimize radar cross-section and infrared signatures. The integrated bridge system is located behind the bow, including the sensors and weapons systems. Every space on board is thoroughly optimized.
The maximum crew of 70 people. The stern helicopter deck and hangar can accommodate a medium-sized multirole naval helicopter such as SH-60 Seahawk.
Sa’ar 6-class corvettes Propulsion
The Sa’ar 6-class corvette is equipped with a combined diesel and diesel propulsion system, integrating two MTU diesel engines coupled with two controllable pitch propellers.
The corvettes will have a maximum speed of approximately 26k, and a range can reach 2,500 nm.
Sensor and Electronic systems
A special about the design of the Sa’ar 6 class is that the combat systems, sensors and other subsystems will be implemented by the Israelis themselves.
Regarding the reconnaissance system, the ship is equipped with the advanced ELM-2248 MF-STAR multi-function digital radar system, based on the latest AESA technology. ELM-2248 MF-STAR is considered the “god eye” of the Sa’ar 6 class missile corvette.
Located above the integrated bridge, the radar will have four active arrays operating in S-Band frequency. The ELM-2248 radar is capable of detecting aircraft at a range of 250 km, cruise missiles at a distance of 25 km, small ships up to 250 km and large ships up to 450 km. This performance is assessed to be equivalent to the AN/SPY-1D radar on the Aegis destroyers of the US Navy.
Sa’ar 6 is also integrated with electronic warfare systems, network defense systems, navigation systems, radio frequency systems, command and control center and communication equipment.
Sa’ar 6-class corvettes Armament
In terms of weapons equipment, it can be seen that the number of weapons that the Sa’ar-6 carries is unmatched in the segment of medium-sized warships of 2,000 tons. These systems were researched and built by Israelis themselves; Optimized for size, allowing integration on non-bulky platforms.
The main attack weapon is 16 subsonic anti-ship cruise missiles, RGM-84 Harpoon. This anti-ship missile works in all weather, has a maximum range of 280 km, a speed of 865 km/h, can fly several meters from the sea surface while approaching the target. Each missile carries a warhead of 220 kg, capable of threatening many types of warships.
The auxiliary weapons include: a 76.2 mm Oto Melara Super Rapid gun, capable of firing Vulcano Precision-Guided Munitions. There are also two 25 mm Typhoon Weapon Stations.
The ship’s defense weapon consists of 16 vertical launch cells, compatible with Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles, with a range of 70 km and a speed of Mach 2. These missiles are optimized to intercept and destroy all types of airborne threats such as anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, combat aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial systems.
Next, there are 40 vertical launch cells for C-Dome point defense system – the naval version of the Iron Dome. This is the main weapon for close-range defense, preventing attacks with anti-ship missiles and artillery shells.
The main anti-submarine weapons on board are 6 light torpedoes, and a number of submersible bombs equipped on the helicopter.
The addition of four Sa’ar 6-class corvettes, which would significantly enhance the Isariel navy. Although the displacement is only nearly 2,000 tons, the Sa’ar 6 class corvettes of the Israeli Navy are considered to be superior to all opponents in the Middle East.
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