According to the Israeli Ministry of Defence, in mid-September, the Sa'ar 6 corvette "Oz" (translated: courage), the second of the four Magen-class units (90 metres long, 1,900 tonnes) built by tkMS in Kiel, successfully fired a "Gabriel V" sea target missile as part of the weapons technology equipment and verification process. This missile is one of the latest variants of the naval missiles developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in the 1960s and in service for over 50 years. This newer version, which has been available since 2020, was also selected for the Finnish Navy's Pohjanmaa-class corvettes in an eight-ship package, which are currently under construction - these units are due to enter service around 2029.
Israeli corvette Sa'ar 6 class. Photo: tkMS
Further development
IAI is currently in the process of further developing the seeker head of this sea target variant, which in future is to be optimised multispectrally, particularly for the coastal area with its numerous background and false echoes as well as jamming possibilities from land. Its range is cautiously estimated at up to 400 kilometres - more details when it flies!
Background
Alongside the three corvettes of the Eilat class (Sa'ar 5, 1,300 tonnes), which were laid down 30 years ago at Ingalls Shipbuilding in the USA (Pascagoula) and are around 30% slimmer, the Magen class corvettes are Israel's only seaworthy units. These ships are urgently needed for the continuous maritime protection of its gas fields off the coast in the Mediterranean against terrorist attacks, as Hizbullah is not keeping its feet still here and is constantly trying to penetrate with drones in a needle-like manner.
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