Posted on 03/29/2016 2:03:20 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Israel’s Navy conducted a successful test firing of surface-surface missiles from a Saar 5 corvette. The test included the launch of missile RGM-84 Harpoon and a new weapon, assumed to be an indigenous surface-to-surface missile developed for the Israel Navy by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
The blurred images shown on this video depict a missile longer and faster than the Harpoon, possibly driven by ram-air propulsion to achieve supersonic cruise and extended range. IAI has been known to continue the development of surface-to-surface missiles beyond Gabriel 3, the latest variant of the Gabriel family that entered service in the early 1970s.
One of the members of IAI’s advanced anti-ship missiles was described in open sources as part of IAI’s Skimmer maritime combat helicopter mission suit.
The existence of such missile was never confirmed but the fact that Israel hasn’t updated its Harpoon (RGM-84D) missiles into Block II configurations (RGM-84L), unlike most other Harpoon users which implemented this option.
Hints about a possible existence of a new Israeli surface attack weapon surfaced in the early 2000s, as IAI participated in an international tender to equip the new ‘Formidable’ frigates of the Singaporean Navy frigates. Eventually Singapore selected the Harpoon missile.
The Gabriel 5 was designed to be superior compared to most contemporary missiles, particularly when employed in littoral waters. It used an advanced active radar seeker backed by a sophisticated weapon control to optimize operational effectiveness in a target congested battlespace. The missile significantly improved target selectivity capability, especially in littoral waters, typically congested with marine traffic, and interference generating extensive and complex false target signals.
As an advanced attack missile Gabriel 5 could penetrate the target’s protection, both soft- and hard-kill defenses. It was designed with sophisticated electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) dealing with chaff, advanced decoys and active ECM.
Gabriel 5 and Barak 8 were described as part of a new offensive and defensive system suite under development at IAI’s Missiles and Space division.
Share this:
I worked for a division owned by Tadiran, at the time it was Israeli owned. The difference between that and one of the American companies was the easy access to innovation. An engineer could have an idea and walk into the president’s office and get funding approved in days for a concept study. (And, yes this did annoy the engineer’s management who was sometimes caught unaware.) In a more “egalitarian” (/s) American company you wouldn’t dare walk into the president’s office. I knew American engineers who had the solutions for problems that the company didn’t even know about yet and couldn’t get a hearing. Only when the problem manifested and started costing bonuses did they get a chance to “discover” a solution. (I think newer management styles have somewhat modified this problem. But I never worked in an American company that had implemented the newer paradigms.)
For anybody interested in the evolution of naval warfare, I highly recommend this book:
The Boats of Cherbourg: The Navy That Stole Its Own Boats and Revolutionized Naval Warfare
On Christmas eve1969, five small boats slipped out of Cherbourg harbor after midnight into the teeth of a Force Nine gale that sent large freighters scurrying for cover. The boats, ordered by Israel from a local shipyard, had been embargoed for more than a year by French President Charles de Gaulle. In a brazen caper, the Israelis were now running off with them. As the boats raced for home and Paris fumed, the world media chortled at Israel’s hutspa. But the story was far bigger than they knew.
Eight years before, the commander of the Israeli navy had assembled senior officers for a brainstorming session. The navy faced downgrading to a coast guard unless it could reconstitute itself as a fighting force on a starvation budget. What to do? A desperate proposal emerged from the two-day meeting.
Israel’s fledgling military industries had developed a crude missile which was rejected by both the army and air force. The navy would now try adapting it. If placed on small patrol boats, the missiles, with their large warheads, could give these cheap vessels the punch of a heavy cruiser.
Over the next decade, engineers working virtually round-the-clock developed the first missile boats in the West. Of a dozen boat platforms ordered in Cherbourg seven sailed before the embargo. The five that escaped completed the flotilla. But the Soviets had meanwhile also developed missile boats which they distributed to their Arab allies. Their powerful and accurate missiles had twice the range of Israel’s. To secure Israel’s sea lanes, the navy devised electronic countermeasures that would hopefully divert the enemy missiles.
On the first night of the Yom Kippur War, an Israeli squadron engaged three Syrian missile boats in the first ever missile-to-missile battle at sea. The Syrian boats fired first but all three were sunk. Two nights later, three Egyptian missile boats were sunk. The electronic umbrella had worked and no Israeli boat was hit. A new naval age had dawned.
About the Author
Abraham Rabinovich was born in New York City and worked as a reporter for Newsday and other newspapers. He arrived in Israel on the eve of the Six Day War and joined The Jerusalem Post.
Fascinating. Thank you.
Not being Jewish, my Yiddish isn't the greatest, but I believe the word is spelled "chutzpah."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.