TSAMTO, August 12. The command of the Israeli Armed Forces reported on the welcoming ceremony held on August 10 in Haifa for the third corvette of the next generation of the Saar-6 class (SA'AR-6) – "Atzmaut" (Atzmaut).
The event was held in the presence of Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog and the commander of the Israeli Navy, Vice Admiral Eliyahu (Eli) Sharvit.
Atzmout is the third of four Saar-6-class corvettes that will be part of the Israeli Navy. As planned, the ship will be put into service within the next two years after it is retrofitted with Israeli-developed equipment.
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 acquiring four ships for Israel amounted to 430 million euros. The German government, for its part, allocated 115 million euros for the construction. The cutting ceremony of the first steel for the lead ship took place in February 2018. The Magen corvette was officially handed over to the command of the Israeli Navy on November 11, 2020 at the enterprise in Kiel, and on December 2, 2020, it arrived at the naval base in Haifa (Israel). The second corvette of the series, "Oz", was transferred to the command of the Israeli Navy on May 4, 2021 and arrived in Israel in June 2021.
Currently, Israeli-made radars, weapons and combat systems are being installed on board the ships. After completing the necessary tests, the corvettes will become part of the Israeli Navy.
On July 27, 2021, a ceremony was held at the TKMS enterprise in Kiel for the transfer of the two remaining corvettes, Atzmaut and Nitzhahon, to the Israeli Navy.
The Saar-6-class corvettes will form the basis of the Israeli Navy over the next 30 years. The ships are built using stealth technologies and are equipped with modern means of detection and destruction. According to available information, the length of the corvette is about 90 m, width-13 m, displacement-about 1900 tons, crew-about 70 people. The maximum speed is 24 knots, the cruising range is 2500 nautical miles.
According to the statement of the Israeli Armed Forces, more than 90% of the defense systems installed on board will be produced in the country. Israeli weapons and other systems of national development are installed after the arrival of corvettes in Israel.
The Saar-6 corvettes can stay at sea for a longer period of time than the rocket boats of the Israeli Navy and will provide more reliable protection of the country's exclusive economic zone, marine facilities and infrastructure for offshore energy production.
