Israel’s defense ministry and the department of navy have awarded Israel Shipyards a contract for the development of a new class of “combat ships”.
The future Reshef-class, as the ships will be referred to, will replace the navy’s Sa’ar 4.5 missile boats that entered service in the 80s and 90s.
Israel Shipyards said the new class would be based on the ISL S-72 design and empower the Israeli Navy capabilities facing future combat demands.
The ships will assist in protecting Israel’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the off-shore oil & gas facilities within Israel’s territorial waters.
Worth noting is that all combat systems onboard the new ship will be supplied by Israeli defense companies.
“We are privileged to be invited by the Israel Navy and MOD to partner in the development of the navy’s future-vessel”, says Israel Shipyards’ managing director, Eitan Zucker, “and will dedicate ourselves as always to provide the optimal answer to the corps’ needs”.
Israel is currently also in the process of acquiring four Sa’ar 6 corvettes that will be delivered by Germany’s thyssenkrupp Marine Systems under a contract from May 2015. The first ship in the class, INS Magen, was launched earlier this year and is set for delivery in spring 2020. All four ships are expected to be delivered by 2021.
Based on the German Navy’s K130 corvettes, the 90-meter ships will displace around 2,000 tons and feature a high-trajectory anti-missile system and a high-trajectory shooting interceptor, close and far-reaching attack capability, long-term survivability, sea and air detection capabilities, and the ability to carry a Seahawk helicopter.
The ships will be equipped with the Naval Iron Dome, Barak 8 missiles, electronic warfare systems, cyber defense systems and means of detection and surveillance.
