Sa'ar 5 Class Corvette/Frigate
Type: frigate
Domain: sea
Country of Origin: Israel
Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (USA)
First Deployed: 1994
Overview
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.
Technical Specifications
| crew | ~74 |
|---|---|
| type | Corvette / Light Frigate |
| ships | 3 in service |
| speed | 33+ knots |
| sensors | EL/M-2218S radar; hull sonar |
| armament | Harpoon SSM; Barak-1 SAM; Phalanx CIWS; torpedo tubes |
| displacement | ~1,275 tonnes |
| manufacturer | Northrop Grumman (Ingalls Shipbuilding, USA) |
Operators
- Israel
Related sea Weapon Systems
- JL-3 SLBM - Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (China)
- IAI Gabriel V - missile (Israel)
- Type 071 Yuzhao - amphibious (China)
- Akya - Heavy Torpedo (Turkey)
- Type 075 LHD - amphibious (China)
- Type 076 LHA - amphibious (China)
- Orka Class Submarine - submarine (Netherlands)
- Type 054A - frigate (China)
- Type 056A Jiangdao - corvette (China)
- AN/SPY-1 - Naval Multi-Function Radar (United States)