Sa'ar 5-class missile boat
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| General Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Basic Displacement: | 1227 tons |
| Length: | 85.64 meters |
| Beam: | 11.88 metres |
| Draft: | 3.17 metres |
| Speed: | 32 knots (61 km/h) |
| Complement: | 64, including officers and crew (+10 aircrew) |
| Armament: | 8 RGM-84 Harpoon missiles, 8 Gabriel SSN missiles, 2 Barak launchers, 20mm Phalanx CIWS Mk.15, 2 x Mk 32 torpedo launchers (6 tubes) |
Sa'ar 5 (Hebrew: סער 5) is a class of Israeli Navy missile boat, designed based on lessons learnt from the Sa'ar 4.5 class ships. Three Sa'ar 5 ships were built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (formerly Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation of Pascagoula, Mississippi) for the Israeli Navy, based on Israeli designs. The Sa'ar 5 ships are considered the Israeli fleet's most advanced surface ships, costing US$260 million each.
The first of class, INS Eilat, was launched in February 1993, followed by INS Lahav in August 1993 and INS Hanit in March 1994.
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[edit] Technical data
- Maximum speed - 33 knots
- Cruise speed on diesel motors - over 20 knots
- Endurance - 3,500 NM
[edit] Defensive systems
[edit] Detection Systems
- Air search radar - Elta EL/M-2218S
- Fire control radar - Elta EL/M-2221
- Sonar - Type 796 hull-mounted sonar Rafael towed sonar array
[edit] Decoys
- Deceiver decoy system AN/SLQ-25 Nixie towed decoy
- Elisra NS-9003A/9005
[edit] Electronic Warfare measures
- Joint Elisra and Rafael developed jammer with Elisra as prime Contractor
[edit] C&C Systems
- Elbit NTCCS
[edit] Helicopter
Sa'ar 5 can carry two Dolphin Helicopters (SA-366G Dauphin), Kaman SH-2F, or Sikorsky S-76N helicopters - one on the landing pad and the other inside the hangar.
[edit] Combat history
- See: INS Hanit
On July 14, 2006, while enforcing a blockade off Beirut, the INS Hanit was attacked by Hezbollah, using an Iranian version of the Chinese YJ-82 missile. [1] A large explosion caused the landing pad to cave in and be engulfed in flames that threatened the aviation fuel storage below, and the flames were not fully extinguished until several hours later. The ship suffered critical damage near the helicopter landing pad (or, according to the press conference, near the bridge), was on fire for several hours and temporarily lost its ability to steer. Four IDF personnel were killed, three of whom were found later in the ship.
Originally, the IDF Naval Force claimed the ship had suffered only limited damage from an explosive-laden UAV. After the true extent of the damage was revealed, the IDF claimed the ship had been hit by an Iranian C-802 antiship missile which was only able to hit the Hanit because its sophisticated automatic missile defense system was not deployed. The claims of the C-802 seem questionable for a number of reasons:
- The C-802 is a long range over-the-horizon anti-shipping missile that requires a large infrastructure to ensure its successful launching; this seems to be far beyond the current capababilities of the Hizbollah armed wing.
- The c-802 is designed to sink a vessel of 10 kilotons; as the Hanit is a Saar 5 corvette displacing approximately 1.3 kilotons, its level of damage is inconsistent with that of the C-802. However it is possible that the warhead simply failed to detonate.
- It seems highly questionable that the Hanit would have turned off its defensive systems in enemy waters, especially considering that another nearby IDF ship had deployed its defense system. [2]
An investigation into the incident by the Israeli Navy concluded that the missile was indeed a C-802 which hit a crane in the rear of the ship, that the ship's radar was not fully functional at the time, that both the ECM and the Barak anti-missile systems were in a two-minute stand-by mode and that the ship's captain was not aware of that fact. [3]
