Israel Navy's principal surface combatant for over two decades, designed and built in the United States with extensive Israeli weapons and sensor integration. Displacement of 1,275 tonnes full load — compact but densely packed with weapons and sensors. Features a pioneering stealth design with sloped surfaces and reduced radar cross-section that was advanced for its 1990s construction era. Armed with 8x Harpoon anti-ship missiles (later supplemented with Gabriel), 64-cell Barak 1 VLS for point defence, Phalanx CIWS, 2x 324mm torpedo tubes, and helicopter deck. The Sa'ar 5 saw combat in the 2006 Lebanon War when INS Hanit was struck by a C-802 anti-ship missile — an incident that accelerated Israel's investment in ship self-defence systems. Three ships in class: Eilat, Lahav, and Hanit. Now serving alongside the newer Sa'ar 6 class. The Sa'ar 5 class has undergone multiple upgrade cycles with improved weapons and sensors.
![Northrop Grumman logo](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="200" height="60" viewBox="0 0 200 60"><rect width="200" height="60" fill="%23111"/><text x="100" y="38" font-family="Arial" font-weight="bold" font-size="12" fill="%23c8a84b" text-anchor="middle">NORTHROP GRUMMAN</text></svg>)
- Proven surface combatant with decades of Israeli Navy service
- Helicopter-capable despite small size
- Integrated Israeli combat systems and weapons
- Versatile patrol and escort platform for Eastern Mediterranean
- Small displacement limits weapons loadout and seakeeping
- Aging platform (1990s era); sensors and weapons need modernization
- Barak-1 SAM being superseded by C-Dome on Sa'ar 6
- Only 3 ships; limited fleet depth
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