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| Warships with Israel's Iron Dome Missile System |
The reception ceremony - marked by the changing of the ship's flag from Germany to Israel - will take place on November 11.
The ship to be named INS Magen is the first of four new class warships to be received by Zionist troops.
Weighing about 2,000 tons, the Sa'ar 6 class battleships are loosely based on the German Braunschweig class ships — also made by the German manufacturer; ThyssenKrupp.
However, the INS Magen has been significantly modified to accommodate Israel's needs, such as the Iron Dome missile defense system, David's Sling, and the Barak-8 ballistic missile interceptor system.
Defense News reported the demand for the ship was fueled by concerns that Hezbollah, Hamas or even Iran could target Israel's offshore gas infrastructure with their missiles, especially since Israel relies heavily on natural gas for electricity.
The warship INS Magen also has a stealth radar cross section, which makes it smaller on enemy radars. INS Magen is expected to be followed by INS Oz, INS Atzma'ut and INS Nitzahon in the next year.
ThyssenKrupp's deal to build the Sa'ar 6 class ship is also part of a corruption probe into several prominent Israeli businessmen, including some of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's colleagues and former Israeli Navy commander Eli Marom. Prosecutors accused officials of accepting massive bribes from ThyssenKrupp in exchange for signing much larger contracts for the ships.
