TSAMTO, May 13. On May 4, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems announced the official handover ceremony of the second (of the four ordered) URO corvette of the Saar-6 class, the Oz, to the Israeli Navy command.
As reported by TSAMTO, the contract for the construction by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in partnership with German Naval Yards of four Saar-6 class corvettes (variant K130) for the Israeli Navy was signed in May 2015. According to Israeli media, the cost of purchasing four ships for Israel was 430 million euros. The German government has allocated 115 million euros for the program. The cutting of the first steel for the construction of the lead ship took place in February 2018. The ship "Magen" was officially handed over to the command of the Israeli Navy on November 11, 2020 at the enterprise in Kiel. The ship arrived at the naval base in Haifa (Israel) on December 2, 2020. Currently, the corvette is equipped with radar, weapons and combat systems of Israeli production. After completing the necessary tests, the corvette will become part of the Israeli Navy.
The launch of the second corvette of the series, "Oz", took place in August 2019.
The two remaining corvettes are due to be delivered to the Israeli Navy in 2021: Atzmaut in September and Nitzhahon in November. The Saar-6-class corvettes will form the backbone of the Israeli Navy for the next 30 years.
The ships are built using low-visibility technologies and are equipped with modern means of detection and destruction. According to available information, the length of the Magen-class corvette is about 90 m, width-13 m, displacement-about 1900 tons, crew-about 70 people, maximum speed-24 knots, cruising range-2500 nautical miles. It is assumed that about 25% of the crew will be women.
According to the Israeli Armed Forces, more than 90% of the defense systems installed on board will be produced in the country. Israeli weapons and other nationally developed systems will be installed on board the corvettes after they arrive in Israel. Among them, in particular, will include 16 anti-ship missiles of an unnamed type (probably "Gabriel-5"), 25-mm remote-controlled weapons modules "Typhoon" of the company Rafael. All corvettes will be equipped with the naval version of the C-Dome of the Iron Dome air defense system, as well as the Barak-8 SAM manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to defeat more complex targets at a longer range, including supersonic anti-ship missiles. On-board electronic warfare systems will provide additional protection, interfering with the satellite guidance systems of attacking ammunition. The armament will also include a 76-mm Oto Melara Super Rapid artillery system, 324-mm torpedo tubes with MK-54 torpedoes.
An important element of the equipment of the ships will be the Adir multifunctional radar, which is a version of the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR, and the combat control system, which will combine the onboard systems with the wider network of the Israeli Armed Forces. The new radar will detect targets at a distance of 100-200 km. The UAV and the SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter will be able to be placed on board.
The Saar-6 corvettes will be on patrol at sea for longer periods of time than the existing Israeli Navy missile boats and will provide more reliable protection for the exclusive economic zone and offshore oil and gas production platforms.