The historic exercise marks the first time the Sa’ar 6-class Corvette participated in an international exercise.
By Erin Viner
The international “Noble Dina” Naval exercise included participation of the armed forces of the United States, France, Greece and Italy, as well as National Guard of Cyprus.
The training wrapped up yesterday after two weeks of maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea, between the island of Crete and the State of Israel and included extensive aerial and naval forces: naval vessels, including missile ships, submarines and Israel Air Force (IAF) fighter jets and helicopters.
The Israeli Navy deployed two Sa’ar 4.5-class missile boats and a Sa’ar 5-class Corvette to participate in the drill; as well as the INS Oz Sa’ar 6-class Corvette, marking the first time it joined an international exercise since being delivered from Germany two years ago.
The participating forces performed a series varying drills, including complex underwater combat drills against submarines, joint maritime combat, handling of aerial and naval threats, Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) scenarios, handling a mass casualty incident, joint fuelings and more, said an IDF statement, noting that Noble Dina “marks a significant step in strengthening international cooperation in the region in order to ensure freedom of navigation and maintain maritime security.”
The drill strengthened cooperation between the Israeli Navy and the participating militaries to confront a variety of regional threats while bolstering their operational capabilities against submarines and reinforcing “mutual operational learning, underscored the IDF.