A Littoral Combat Frigate For Israel?
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October 2007 reports from Jane’s and Defense News indicate that Israel has gone beyond initial interest, and is leaning toward Lockheed Martin’s Littoral Combat Ship design as its next major surface ship acquisition beyond the Sa’ar 5 Eilat Class corvettes. This could make them the Littoral Combat Ship’s first export customer.
The 1,227t/1,350 ton Saar 5 corvettes were built by Northrop Grumman in the 1990s for about $260 million each. Their 2×32-cell launchers for short-range Barak surface-air missiles, Mk15 Phalanx gun option, and IAI Elta EL/M-2218S and EL/M-2221 GM STGR radars give them moderate anti-air capabilities. Bow-mounted and towed sonars, plus 6×324mm torpedo tubes for ATK’s Mark 46 torpedoes, give them moderate anti-submarine capability. Surface warfare is addressed well, with Typhoon remotely-operated 7.62-30mm gun/missile systems to deal with guerrilla craft, Harpoon or Gabriel anti-ship missiles, and a 76mm Oto Melara naval gun option in place of the Phalanx system. The ship’s helicopter hangar can accommodate an H-665A Dauphin/Panther, Kaman SH-2F or Sikorsky S-76N helicopters, and it is capable of launching small boats or USVs like RAFAEL’s Protector series in support of special Forces missions or other tasks.
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A 2,500-3,000t LCS design with the USA’s swappable mission modules would significantly enhance Israel’s ability to conduct anti-submarine warfare and mine neutralization missions. Unfortunately, the weak armament of the USA’s LCS ships is inadequate for the Israelis, who need their ships to be able to engage other naval vessels, and to provide their own air defense. Worse, it lacks future upgrade flexibility. As a result, the Israelis are taking a different approach to Lockheed’s LCS design, eliminating the swappable mission modules in favor of a much more heavily-armed ship. Now, an RFP has been issued…
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