Sa’ar 6: Hyper-Advanced Missile Ship Arrives in Israel
The advanced Sa’ar 6 missile ship, one of four that was constructed in Germany by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, was officially handed over to the Israeli navy on Wednesday. The three other missile corvettes will be delivered over the course of the next two years. The main mission of the new vessel named the INS Magen and its enormously powerful radar capability will be to protect the vital offshore natural gas facilities which are located in an area of the Mediterranean twice the size of Israel. The recent Abraham Accords may open up the possibility of an oil pipeline that will deliver oil from the Arab Gulf nations directly to Eilat and from there, also via pipeline to Haifa, which will increase the need for port and maritime security. The ship will be integrated into the land-based Iron Dome anti-missile system.
Built using stealth technology, the ship has Oto Melara 76 mm main gun, two Typhoon Weapon Stations, 16 vertical launch cells for Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles,40 cells for the C-Dome point defense system, 16 anti-ship missiles, the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR AESA radar, and two 324 mm torpedo launchers. It has hangar space and a platform able to accommodate a medium-class SH-60-type helicopter.
The designing of the new ship began in 2015 and construction began in 2017.
Ship weight – approximately 2,000 tons.
• Length – 90 meters.
• Will serve approximately 80 crew staff.
• Features 100 beds.
• Expected to sail about 2000 sea hours a year, for over 30 years.
• Combines over 90% of the IDF’s combat systems.
• Construction of the ship took about 14 months (from the beginning of construction until its launch).
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