The Israeli Defense Forces has announced that three more Sa’ar 6 ships will be transferred to Israel from Germany within the coming year.
The next vessel is slated to be delivered in December. Its flag was changed from Germany’s to Israel’s last week as it was formally inaugurated as the “Magen” (“Shield” in English). The ship will reinforce the Israeli Navy’s regional superiority, geared toward protection of critical strategic assets at a level the IDF maintains “have never been seen before in the eastern Mediterranean.”
According to the IDF announcement, the “mission was deemed necessary after valuable natural gas reserves were discovered within Israel’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the early 2000s. Since 70% of the electricity in Israel today comes from natural gas produced by Israel’s marine gas rigs, the discoveries called for a new way to protect Israel’s assets. Thus began the Israeli Navy’s initiative to bring new missile ships to Israel.”
“The mission of defending Israel’s Exclusive Economic Zone and strategic assets at sea is our primary security mission of the Israeli Navy,” declared the Commander of the Israeli Navy, Major General Eli Sharvit.
“These assets are essential to the operational continuity of the State of Israel, and having the ability to protect them has a critical importance. The security needed to protect the EEZ is clear. The best protection method of that space and the assets in it is by ships, and the Sa’ar 6 Corvettes fulfill that operational need in a precise and excellent way,” he stressed.
All of the Sa’ar 6 ships will undergo massive overhauling as soon as they dock in the Jewish State, as over 90% of the vessels’ defensive systems will be equipped with Israeli-made combat systems.
The following is a list of what the IDF said are the “special operational capabilities” of the new Israeli ships:
Anti-Missile Systems and high-trajectory interception based on “Adir” radar systems: According to assessments, terror armies (like Hezbollah and Hamas) in our region possess the ability to fire high-trajectory rockets of a wide range, that are able to reach the gas rigs. Because of this, it is highly important that the Israeli Navy’s missile boats have high-trajectory rocket and shore-to-sea missile interception systems, such as “Naval Dome” and LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device).
Sea-to-sea missile capability: This missile system will have more accurate offensive capabilities, longer ranges, improved operational flexibility, and better capabilities to face advanced threats.
Greater ability to cover near and far surface areas: The area of Israel’s EEZ more than twice that of Israel’s land territory. The Sa’ar 6 Corvettes will enable naval combat personnel to control the arena faster, and provide a high-quality defensive envelope even at a distance from a security threat.
Ability to remain at sea for extended periods of time: The EEZ defense mission never stops. The Sa’ar 6 Corvettes can remain at sea for longer periods of time than the Israeli Navy’s existing missile boats, and therefore are able to create long-term defensive continuity.
The Sa’ar 6 Corvettes will possess air and surface target detection capabilities: This will include a response to the existing threats from the air, target detection and wide battle space collection capabilities.
The ability to carry mid-size helicopters, such as the Seahawk: The new Seahawk helicopters that will be used by Sa’ar 6 Corvettes will be powerful, and able to operate over long ranges and extended periods of time. In this fashion, the ships will be able to provide a comprehensive defensive envelope.
Multidimensional Communication interoperability with all IDF Networks: The ship will be able to interact and initiate communication with other IDF branches and units.