The Sa'ar 4 or ''Reshef'' class were a series of
fast attack craft built based on
Israeli Navy
The Israeli Navy (, ''Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli'', ; ) is the Israel Defense Forces#Arms, naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Eilat and the Red Sea th ...
designs grounded in accumulated experience derived in the operation of "Cherbourg" (Sa'ar 1, Sa'ar 2, and ) classes. Thirteen were built at the
Israel Shipyards
Israel Shipyards is a large shipbuilding and repair facilities in the eastern Mediterranean. The company also operates a privately owned port in Israel.
The company's facilities are located at the Kishon Port (part of the Port of Haifa complex) ...
, ten for the Israeli Navy and three for the
South African Navy
The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force.
The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery prote ...
. Another six were built for the South African Navy in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
with Israeli assistance.
Sa'ar 4 boats' first battle engagements occurred in the October 1973
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states led by Egypt and S ...
when two Sa'ar 4 boats, INS ''Reshef'' and INS ''Keshet'', engaged Egyptian and Syrian ships and coastal targets. Israel had sold most of its Sa'ar 4 boats to other navies, but INS ''Nitzachon'' and INS ''Atzmaut'' remained in active Israeli Navy service until 2014.
Variants
Israel
Ten Sa'ar 4-class boats were built for the Israeli Navy. only two remain in service. Three were disassembled, with systems taken for use in the construction of vessels. Three vessels and one hull stripped of systems were sold to
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
. Two vessels were sold to
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
.
South Africa
The (formerly designated Minister class) in service with the
South African Navy
The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force.
The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery prote ...
are modified Sa'ar 4 (''Reshef''-class) fast attack craft. In 1974, a contract was signed with
Israeli Military Industries for the construction of three of the modified Reshef class vessels at the
Haifa
Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
facility of Israeli Shipyards. A further three were built immediately after at the
Sandock Austral shipyard in
Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
, South Africa, with three more being built at the same facility several years later.
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.
The South African variants were fitted with
Gabriel missiles, known in South Africa as 'Scorpion' missiles, and had two
OTO Melara 76 mm
The OTO Melara 76 mm gun, marketed as the OTO 76/62 Gun Mount, is a naval autocannon built and designed by the Italian Defense contractor, defence company OTO Melara. It is based on the OTO Melara 76/62C and evolved toward 76/62 SR and 76/ ...
guns instead of a single one with a
Phalanx CIWS
The Phalanx CIWS () is an automated gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Co ...
.
Chile
In 1979, the
Chilean Navy
The Chilean Navy () is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense (Chile), Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso.
History
Ori ...
purchased its first Sa'ar 4, followed by a second in 1980 and a final two boats in 1997.
''Papudo'' (ex INS ''Tarshish)'' was purchased with several missing systems and due to budgetary constraints was retired in 1998, only a year after entering service.
All Sa'ar 4s in service with the Chilean Navy are armed with two
OTO Melara 76 mm
The OTO Melara 76 mm gun, marketed as the OTO 76/62 Gun Mount, is a naval autocannon built and designed by the Italian Defense contractor, defence company OTO Melara. It is based on the OTO Melara 76/62C and evolved toward 76/62 SR and 76/ ...
guns, eight
Gabriel missile launchers and two
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models empl ...
with the exception of ''Angamos'' which was modernized in 2013 replacing four of the Gabriel missile launchers with four
Exocet MM40 launchers.
Three Sa'ar 4s remain in service as of 2020.
Sri Lanka
In 2000, two of the Israeli boats were sold to the
Sri Lankan Navy
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) (; ) is the navy, naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography. It is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its ...
, forming the . It is not certain if these boats retain the
Harpoon
A harpoon is a long, spear-like projectile used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other hunting to shoot, kill, and capture large fish or marine mammals such as seals, sea cows, and whales. It impales the target and secures it with barb or ...
missile capability, however, these boats retained their
Gabriel missile capability.
See also
*
* Israeli Sea Corps
* Tunis Raid
References
External links
Israeli Weapons dealer
Project ''Japonica'': The secret building of South African Strike Craft in Israel, 1975-79
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sa'ar 4 Class Missile Boat
Missile boat classes
Missile boats of the Israeli Navy
Missile boats of the Chilean Navy
Missile boats of the South African Navy
Missile boats of the Sri Lanka Navy
Israel–South Africa relations