Reshef-class corvette
Israeli Navy ship class
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The Reshef class (Hebrew: רֶשֶׁף) is a series of five multirole corvettes under construction for the Israeli Navy.[1][2][3] The vessels are being built domestically at Israel Shipyards Ltd. in Haifa, northern Israel.[1][2] The Navy officially ordered production of the vessels in 2024,[1] with steel-cutting beginning in early 2025.[2] The design is based on an enlarged version of Israel Shipyards' earlier Sa'ar S - 72 concept.[4][1][2] The Reshef class is planned to replace the existing Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats with a larger ship having double the displacement, stealth features, and improved air defence & electronic warfare systems.[1][2] As part of the contract there is an option for additional orders at a later date.[5][1] The design is marketed for export as the Sa'ar S - 80.[6][4][7][8]
Israeli Navy| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Reshef class |
| Builders | Israel Shipyards Ltd. |
| Operators | Israeli Navy |
| Preceded by | Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boat |
| Built | 2025–present |
| Planned | 5 |
| Completed | 0 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Corvette |
| Displacement | ~1000 tonnes |
| Length | 80 m (262 ft 6 in) |
| Beam | 11 m (36 ft 1 in) |
| Draft | 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in) |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys | |
| Armament |
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Development
Sa'ar S - 72
Israel Shipyards privately began the design of a replacement for the Israeli Navy's aging Sa'ar 4.5 missile boats, the remaining vessels being known as the Hetz class (Hebrew: חֵץ). Referred to as the Sa'ar S - 72, Israel Shipyards officially revealed the new design at the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX) Asia in Singapore in May 2013.[9] The 800-tonne displacement concept was 72 meters long, with a beam of 10.25 meters and a draft of less than 3 meters.[9] 15.3-meter-long flight deck accomodating upto a 7-ton medium helicopter. Powered by two MTU 16V1163M94 diesel engines, the hull was designed for a top speed of over 30 knots with a cruising speed of 18 knots.[9]
Navy redesign
On November 6, 2019, the Israeli Navy signed an initial design contract with Israel Shipyards for a new vessel, now dubbed the "Reshef" class.[10] The yard's managing director stated the new design would be even longer and have a larger displacement than the previous Sa'ar S-72 proposals.[10] The Navy had also specified the rear deck would house modular payloads rather than a helicopter flight deck.[10] A contract for detailed design work was signed by the Israeli Ministry of Defense in August 2021[11][1]
Reshef order
On December 12, 2024, Israel Shipyards announced that the Israeli Ministry of Defence had signed a contract for the production and delivery of five Reshef class corvettes.[5][1] The deal was valued at $780M (NIS 2.8B).[1][2][5][12] The contract includes the option for additional orders in future.[5] A formal steel-cutting ceremony marking the start of construction occurred on February 18, 2025.[2]
Characteristics
Reshef
The exact specifications and loadout of the Reshef class vessels are still not enumerated, however various systems have been mentioned by the designers or shown on the latest models.
The ships are expected to feature an EL/M-2258 ALPHA rotating AESA radar,[1] as well as various other radar and electro-optical sensors.[1] For anti-missile decoys, the ships appear to have multiple Elbit Deseaver decoy systems.[1] Digital Shark R-ECM[1] and Aqua Marine series R-ESM[1] electronic warfare systems are likely present. DSIT Solutions BlackFish/MonkFish hull mounted sonar have been mentioned as optional systems for anti-submarine warfare.[13] The design features a multipurpose aft deck[1] that can be used to store containerized payloads such as deck-launched torpedoes, UAVs, or additional missile launchers. The propulsion system is specified as a Combined Diesel-Electric or Gas (CODOG) type.[1]
For weapons; an OTO 76/62 mm Super Rapid naval gun is the primary gun,[1] while 2 Typhoon Weapon Stations provide close-in defense.[1] A key new feature the class will share with Israel's newest Sa'ar 6-class corvette is a 40-cell C-Dome point defense system, a navalized variant of the Iron Dome.[14][1] For surface-to-surface combat, cannisters for launching sea-skimming Gabriel V anti-ship missiles are present on deck.[1]
The Reshef class is also expected to be the first of Israel's fleet to be fitted with Naval Iron Beam, a navalized version of the Iron Beam directed energy weapon.[15] Additional short range surface-to-surface missiles could be fitted such as the Typhoon MLS-NLOS system, the navalized Spike-NLOS missile launcher.[7]
Sa'ar S - 80
Israel Shipyards advertise an export version of the Reshef class design, dubbed the Sa'ar S - 80, revealed at the Euronaval 2022 exhibition.[4] The vessel is described as being 80 meters long with a beam of 11 meters and a draft of 3.25 meters.[7] Powered by 4 MTU 16V4000 series diesel engines, the maximum speed is claimed to be over 28 knots with a crusing speed of 14 knots.[7] The ship is marketed as being available in corvette or offshore patrol vessel (OPV) variants.[6][4] Endurance is rated at over 22 days.[7] Crew complement is stated as 53 + 20 passengers.[7] The stern hosts a landing deck for a medium size naval helicopter — this space on the Reshef class is to be used for modular containerized payloads instead.[7] No hangar is present,[4] however one could potentially be provided for operators having this requirement.[16] 2 davit stations for rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) also occupy the aft deck, where Gabriel V launchers will be emplaced on the Israeli Navy's design.[7]