| Sa'ar 4-class missile boat | |
|---|---|
 Chilean Navy Sa'ar 4-class fast-attack craft Angamos and Casma perform tactical maneuvering exercises in the Strait Of Magellan | |
| Class overview | |
| Name: | Saar 4 |
| Operators: |
 Israeli Navy Chilean Navy South African Navy Sri Lanka Navy Hellenic Coast Guard |
| Preceded by: | Sa'ar 3-class missile boat |
| Succeeded by: | Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boat |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Missile boat |
| Displacement: | 415 tons (450 tons loaded) |
| Length: | 58 m (190 ft) |
| Beam: | 7.62 m (25.0 ft) |
| Draught: | 2.4 m (7.9 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 4 MTU diesels 12,000 hp (8,900 kW), 4 screws |
| Speed: | 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) |
| Range: | 4,800 nautical miles (8,900 km; 5,500 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h), 2,200 nautical miles (4,100 km; 2,500 mi) at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Electronic warfare & decoys: |
Surface/air search radar - Neptune/S.P.S Fire-control radar - Orion |
| Armament: |
|
The Sa'ar 4 or Reshef class missile boats were built based on Israeli Navy designs grounded in accumulated experience derived in the operation of "Cherbourg" (Sa'ar 1, Sa'ar 2, and Sa'ar 3) classes. Thirteen were built at the Israel Shipyards, ten for the Israeli Navy and three for the South African Navy. Another six were built for the South African Navy in South Africa with Israeli assistance.
Sa'ar 4 boats' first battle engagements were made in the October 1973 Yom Kippur War. During this war, two Sa'ar 4 boats engaged in missile battles with Egyptian and Syrian ships and coastal targets. Israel has sold most of the Sa'ar 4 boats to other navies, however, the INS Nitzachon and INS Atzmaut remain in active Israeli Navy service.
Variants[]
Israel[]
Ten Sa'ar IV class boats were built for the Israeli Navy. As of 2014[update] only two remain in service. Three were disassembled, with systems taken for use in the construction of Sa'ar 4.5 class vessels. Three vessels and one hull stripped of systems were sold to Chile. Two vessels were sold to Sri Lanka.
| Vessel name | Meaning | History | Fate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INS Reshef | Spark | Launched in 1973. Commissioned on February 1973. |
Sold to Chile in 1997 as LM-34 Angamos. | Sold |
| INS Keshet | Bow | Launched in 1973. Commissioned before October 1973. |
Sold to Chile in 1981 as LM-31 Chipana. | Sold |
| INS Romach | Lance | Launched in 1974. |
Sold to Chile in 1979 as LM-30 Casma. | Sold |
| INS Kidon | Javelin | Launched in 1974. | Disassembled. Various systems reassembled atop Sa'ar 4.5 hull in 1994. The old hull sunk as an underwater memorial. | Retired |
| INS Tarshish | Tarshish | Launched in 1975. | Disassembled. Some systems reassembled atop Sa'ar 4.5 hull in 1995. The old hull sold to Chile in 1997 as LM-35 Papudo. | Sold |
| INS Yaffo | Jaffa | Launched in 1975. | Disassembled. Various systems reassembled atop new Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boat hull in 1998. | Retired |
| INS Nitzachon | Victory | Launched on July 1978. Commissioned on September 1978. |
Redirected to anti-submarine warfare. | Active |
| INS Atzmaut | Independence | Launched on December 1978. Commissioned on February 1979. |
Redirected to anti-submarine warfare. | Active |
| INS Moledet | Homeland | Launched in 1979. | Redirected to anti-submarine warfare. Sold to Sri-Lanka in 2000 as SLNS Suranimala. |
Sold |
| INS Komemiyut | Sovereignty | Launched in 1980. | Redirected to anti-submarine warfare. Sold to Sri-Lanka in 2000 as SLNS Nandimitra. |
Sold |
South Africa[]
The Warrior class strike craft (ex Minister class) in service with the South African Navy are modified Sa'ar IV (Reshef class) fast attack craft.[1] In 1974, a contract was signed with Israeli Military Industries for the construction of three of the modified Reshef class vessels at the Haifa facility of Israeli Shipyards. A further three were built immediately after at the Sandock Austral shipyard in Durban, South Africa, with three more being built at the same facility several years later.[2] The imposition of the international embargo on the sale of arms to South Africa on 4 November 1977 forced the project to be carried out under a cloak of security.[2] The South African variants were fitted with Gabriel missiles, otherwise known as 'Scorpion' missiles, and had two Oto Melara 76 mm guns instead of a single one with a Phalanx CIWS.
Sri Lanka[]
In 2000, two of the Israeli boats were sold to the Sri Lankan Navy, forming the Nandimithra Class. It is not certain if these boats retain the Harpoon missile capability, however, these boats retained their Gabriel missile capability.[3]
Greece[]
The Hellenic Coast Guard uses three Sa'ar 4 patrol boats armed only with a 30 mm gun. A crane is installed at the deck space normally reserved for missiles.[4]
See also[]
External links[]
- Israeli Weapons
- Project Japonica: The secret building of South African Strike Craft in Israel, 1975-79
References[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sa'ar 4-class missile boat. |
- ↑ "Warrior class strike craft". May 26, 2005. http://www.victorlogistics.co.za/navy_strike.htm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cdr Thean Potgieter (November 26, 2004). "The Secret South African Project Team: Building Strike Craft in Israel, 1975-79" (PDF). University of Stellenbosch. Archived from the original on October 15, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061015004613/http://academic.sun.ac.za/mil/scientia_militaria/Internet+Vol+32(2)/05+Potgieter.pdf. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- ↑ [1][dead link]
- ↑ http://www.israel-shipyards.com/naval-001.asp
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