Israel Builds an OPC with a Difference

Saar6PortQuarter

NavyRecognition has some more details about the four 90 meter, 2,000 ton OPV/Corvettes Israel ordered on 22 Dec.2014 that we talked about earlier.

Feeling more immediate threats than the US, Israel’s priorities are of course different from our own. Range and seakeeping are less important, while military capabilities have come to the fore.

They will have a non-rotating multi-function solid-state active phased array radar system (a sort of mini-Aegis system) integrated into the two masts, a 76 mm gun, two Typhoon gun systems essentially the same as our Mk38 mod2s like those on the Webber Class, Vertical Launch Systems for the Barak medium range AAW missile system, the shorter range C-Dome point defense system that uses the Iron Dome interceptor, and what appears to be 16 launchers for anti-ship cruise missiles, probably Harpoon.

The NavyRecognition post does not talk much about its ASW capability, other than to say that they will have 324mm torpedo launchers and facilities for support of a SH-60 helicopter, but since the much smaller Saar5 corvettes have both a hull mounted sonar and a towed array, these are likely to be included as well.

While we will certainly not load up our OPC with weapons like this, it does show how much combat power can be incorporated in a small ship

9 thoughts on “Israel Builds an OPC with a Difference

  1. More details: Israel’s new corvette http://militaryedge.org/armaments/lcs-mako-future-corvette/ is expected to include ELM-2248 MF-STAR active electronic scanned array (AESA) radar provision for 40 x Barak 8 missiles and 40 x C-Dome point defense missiles in addition to 16 ASCMs.

    May also use an extremely short takeoff and landing UAV. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/israeli-navy-considers-deploying-new-uav-type-on-cor-431306/

  2. According to the German Navy blog “Marine Forum”

    “The Israel Navy plans to operate vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicles from its new SA’AR-6 corvettes … to be used in conjunction with incoming Sikorsky SH-60F Seahawk helicopters.”

    These could be MQ-8s Fire Scouts or possibly a new Israeli product.

  3. First of class is named. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2019/05/israel-navys-first-saar-6-corvette-named-ins-magen/

    “In terms of weapon systems, the SA’AR 6 is fitted with an Oto Melara 76 mm main gun, two Typhoon Weapon Stations, 32 vertical launch cells for Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles, the C-Dome point defense system, 16 anti-ship missiles (likely Gabriel V) and two 324 mm torpedo launchers . The sensor suite includes the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR AESA radar. It has hangar space and a platform able to accommodate a medium class SH-60-type helicopter.”

  4. Pingback: Perhaps the Most Well Armed Cutter Sized Corvette in the World | Chuck Hill's CG Blog

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