Military Media.net - Germany - The Israeli Navy's SA'AR-6 class Corvette, possibly the first ship in the Magen INS class, begins its first sea test on March 10, 2020.
The first SA'AR-6 class corvette was named INS Magen in May 2019. German shipbuilder thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) acted as General Contractor to build four corvettes of this class for the Israeli Navy.
The SA'AR 6 corvette had a stealth design. The contract for shipping four SA'AR 6 corvettes was signed in May 2015. After the design phase, the construction phase began with a first-class steel cutting ceremony in February 2018. Only 15 months after the first steel was cut, the ship was launched , fulfilling his very ambitious schedule.
After the current sea trial campaign, INS Magen will be sent in the spring of 2020. Three other vessels will follow later at intervals of several months.
In terms of weapons systems, SA'AR 6 displays impressive firepower despite its compact size :
- Melara Oto 76 mm Main Gun
- two Typhoon Weapon Stations
- 32 vertical launch cells for Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles, the C-Dome point defense system
- 16 anti-ship missiles (likely Gabriel V)
- two 324 mm torpedo launchers
- About 90 m long
- 13 m wide
- Estimated weight of 1,900 tons
The sensor suite includes the EL / M-2248 MF-STAR AESA radar. It has hangar space and a platform that can accommodate medium-class SH-type helicopters.
