A long awaited contract for the construction of four corvettes for the Israeli Navy was finally signed on Monday 11 May between the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The four vessels are going to be used for the protection of Israel’s offshore natural-gas drilling platforms in the Eastern Mediterranean from possible terrorist attacks.
The contract includes the construction of the four vessels in German shipyards, while systems outfitting such as the combat management system, sensors and weapon systems will most likely be conducted in Israel by local industries.
According to the web site Navy Recognition the weapon systems of the new corvette may even include anti-aircraft capabilities with the new medium-range surface to air missile system Barak 8 and MF-STAR multifunction AESA radar – both systems developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The new Israeli corvettes will be based on the MEKO 80 Patrol Corvette design, a slightly reduced version of the MEKO 100 Corvette.
The value of the contract signed between the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and the Israeli Ministry of Defense is 430 million euro. An amount of 115 million euro will be given to Israel as a grant from the German Government reducing the cost of the project for Israel to 315 million euro.
According to Dan Harel the General Director of the Israeli Ministry of Defense the cost of the four corvettes will be paid for with funds that do not come from the defense budget and was approved by the cabinet.
Furthermore the Israeli defense industry will equip the four MEKO 80 Patrol Corvettes with locally manufactured electronic and defense systems preserving hundreds of jobs, while a significant amount of money is to be returned directly to Israeli industry in orders for the equipment mentioned above. The MEKO 80 Patrol Corvette is a stealth designed vessel, with overall length 84.2 meters, beam 13.3 meters and displacement 1.500 tons.
The propulsion system of the vessel is consisted of two diesel engines that allow the corvette to achieve maximum speed of 25kn and range 4.500nm with 14kn. The corvette has a 65 member crew and it can host 23 more men (special forces/trainees etc).
The Israeli Navy ‘s MEKO 80 Patrol Corvette will be equipped with:
- Barak 8 Israeli made surface to air missiles
- eight RGM-84 Harpoon surface to surface missiles, one main gun
- the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR multifunction AESA radar, the EL/M-2221 fire-control radar
- a Combat Management System, a hull-mounted sonar
- a towed sonar array, electronic warfare systems and decoys f
- a Phalanx CIWS.
- The new corvettes will be able to host one 10 ton helicopter at the rear hanger.
The German TKMS/Blohm+Voss MEKO 80 Patrol Corvette was selected by the Israeli Navy last December with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing that his country ordered four new vessels from Germany. The four corvettes will supplement the existing surface fleet of the Israeli Navy which includes three Sa’ ar 5-class corvettes and eight Sa’ar 4.5-class Fast Attack Missile Crafts.
It will take two to four years to complete the construction of the ships in Germany and bring them to Israel. The first corvette will be delivered to the Israeli Navy in five years, and the remaining three will each be delivered a year apart.