From the Deep Sea to the High Skies
The IDF Navy is developing network-centric connectivity throughout the spectrum: from the depths of the sea through the ground to the air. "A submarine commander will be able to communicate with the commander of a ground force before and during a combined operation, and both will be able to direct the pilot of an F-15 fighter to his targets"
Dan Arkin
| 30/03/2018
IDF Navy patrol boats (Photo: IDF)
The first trial operation of the naval version of the Iron Dome system was conducted in late 2017. It was the conclusion of a complex technological development process that lasted about eighteen months. The process included the development of a degree of stabilization that would enable the launching of an interceptor from the deck of a missile frigate exposed to the mercy of the waves and the sea. The testing of the Skylark UAV system, currently operated by the IDF Artillery Corps, and the modification thereof to naval operation, will continue this year. The system, designated "Rokhev Shamayim" (Hebrew for "Sky Rider"), may evolve into the "Doher Galim" (Hebrew for "Wave Galloper") – a system designed to provide the commander of a naval vessel with a status picture and tell him everything that goes on around his vessel. Both systems, the Iron Dome air-defense system and the ground-based/airborne Rokhev Shamayim system are being modified to serve as defensive assets for naval vessels and to assist in intelligence collection.
Here are a few examples of the core of the IDF Navy's activities in the next year and the coming years: a mix of defensive, offensive and intelligence collection capabilities, all being fully integrated into the network-centric connectivity efforts of the IDF as a whole.
"Within a year or two, the IDF Navy will be fully network-centric," said a senior officer at Navy HQ to Israel Defense, "Connectivity throughout the spectrum: from the depths of the sea, through the ground to the air. A submarine commander will be able to communicate with the commander of a ground force before and during a combined operation, and both will be able to direct the pilot of an F-15 fighter to his targets. A battalion commander on a mission in the Gaza Strip will be able to request extrication or fire support from a naval vessel or an aircraft, and he will accomplish that without speaking and very promptly. This is the significance of network-centric connectivity. At the 'pit' of the IDF Navy, you will be able to monitor the exact same picture they monitor at the 'pit' of the IAF."
Overseas, they are waiting patiently for the completion of the development and production stages of the future platforms of the 'White Force' – the platforms that would take part in attacks against enemy forces, in coping with threats and in defending the national assets. The sixth submarine, INS Dakar, is under construction in a German shipyard. The Sa'ar-6 missile frigate, the pride of the future surface combat fleet of the IDF Navy, is also under construction in Germany and will reach its home port sometime in 2019. The Sa'ar-6 frigate will be 25 years younger than the Sa'ar-4.5 and Sa'ar-5 missile frigates currently in service. Its equipment will enable it to collect intelligence and analyze current threats, and it will possess offensive and defensive capabilities based on cruise and ballistic missiles against the future generations of expected threats. The Sa'ar-6 frigate will be loaded with electronics, computers and electronic warfare systems.
Also in the not-too-distant future – the IDF Navy Squadron, or, if you will – the Israeli Navy's air arm. A process expected to be concluded in two to three years is currently underway: the AS-565 Panther (IAF designation "Atalef") helicopters will be replaced by Sea Hawk helicopters – the naval version of the Blackhawk helicopter (IAF designation "Yanshuf"). The helicopters will be joined by UAS. In the future, the IDF naval air arm will consist of a squadron of Sea Hawk helicopters and a squadron of Heron (IAF Designation "Shoval") UAVs.
These and other plans of the IDF Navy for the coming year are the derivatives of the situation in the region, the processes taking place in neighboring countries and the threat status, taking into consideration the tasks the State of Israel assigns to its naval arm: coastal defense, seaport defense, protecting the maritime routes, securing economic assets and coping with threats. "Israel is a sea-oriented country," they say in the IDF Navy, "A substantial percentage of the population lives along the coast. Nearly all exports and imports arrive and depart by sea. The power stations are located on the coast. We have offshore gas drilling rigs in operation. The rigs and the gas fields should be protected. One hit inflicted on an offshore gas drilling rig is enough to lead to power supply shortages in various parts of the country."
Naval Empowerment in the Region
The naval forces of neighboring countries and other countries in the region, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are also undergoing empowerment. In the Sinai – the peninsula where Egypt shares a land and sea border with Israel – there is a surge of terrorism. The Iranians are advancing in place of ISIS. Beyond the borders, there is international presence: enhanced Russian military presence, reduced US presence, and the French and British are also present. In recent years, several marine terrorist attacks have been recorded within a radius of 100 kilometers from Israel. At the IDF Navy HQ, there is no doubt that today's strategy of Hezbollah is offensive, as they acquire various types of weapon systems. Nasrallah has never disguised his intentions of hitting the ammonia tank near Haifa. Hezbollah is speaking about "conquering the Galilee" and hitting the offshore gas drilling rigs, and there was talk about imposing a naval blockade on the State of Israel by attacking the maritime routes.
There have been empowerment processes in the underwater medium, too: "Hezbollah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip are constantly addressing the underwater medium. They are definitely establishing diver units," they say at IDF Navy HQ. Today, it is not difficult to acquire underwater vehicles in the civilian market. Any organization can acquire underwater resources without advanced technologies, just as it is not difficult to acquire cheap drones or UAVs on eBay or through commercial websites, and convert innocent civilian platforms into tools of destruction at the hands of terrorists.
The nature and quality of the enemy forces and the targets have changed, too: in the past, there were navy-against-navy combat encounters between Israeli naval vessels and the enemy fleets. "You knew the forces facing you. You were familiar with their vessels and armament, and you referred to them. An enemy destroyer was a single clearly-defined target. Today you face twenty targets dispersed over a large area, and intelligence collection efforts are required in order to spot and identify the targets, classify them and then intercept and attack them," they say at IDF Navy HQ.
In the past, the IDF Navy attacked the enemy fleets in Port-Said (Egypt) or Lattakia (Syria), namely – it fought within the enemy's naval territory. In view of today's threats, the emphasis is placed on defending the national continuity, which includes maritime routes and offshore economic assets. As 100% protection can never be provided, you must switch to the offensive, and the IDF naval arm is preparing for this task very seriously and thoroughly.
The result is obvious: the amount of offensive weapon systems on board the IDF Navy vessels has increased considerably. They fit the vessels with much more ordnance and many additional intelligence collection capabilities. Hence the Barak-8 missile and aircraft defense system, and hence the naval Iron Dome system, which provides protection against sea-to-sea missiles, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. In the coming year, the efforts to develop the offensive capabilities of the naval vessels will continue at full steam. Additionally, the IDF Navy will acquire heavy missiles and long-range rockets, heavy warheads with penetration capabilities and lighter but highly accurate munitions that cause minimal collateral damage.
A relatively new task assigned to the naval arm is protecting Israel's offshore gas drilling rigs and gas fields. Naval vessels patrol the offshore rigs day and night, the people of the Navy assured us. However, the IDF Navy is not alone in this defensive project. The IAF is an active partner through its various aircraft, and satellites are employed as well. Situation appraisals are held regularly to consider the threats and the information available, and decisions are made accordingly as to the number of naval and aerial platforms to be assigned to the protection of the economic assets and the methods of operation to be employed. The make-up of the defense force is determined according to the risk and the relevant threats.
Simulators & Highly-Trained Personnel
Details regarding the platform make-up of the IDF Navy are regularly published by various websites, by Wikipedia and by the official websites of the world's naval forces. According to these publications, here is a breakdown of the arsenal of the IDF Navy.
7th Flotilla: 5 submarines plus one under construction. The existing five are the Dolphin class submarines (Dolphin, Leviathan & Tkuma) and the Dolphin-2 class submarines (Tanin, Rahav, and Dakar, which is currently under construction).
3rd Flotilla: 3 Sa'ar-5 missile frigates (Eilat, Lahav & Hanit) and 8 Sa'ar-4.5 missile frigates.
Dozens of Dvora-class fast patrol boats, including Super Dvora-class (Mk-2 & Mk-3) FPBs, Shaldag high-speed boats, Rafael Protector USVs (unmanned surface patrol vessels), and commando boats used by the 13th Flotilla (naval commandos).
As far as the personnel of the IDF Navy is concerned, the shortened compulsory service term of male conscripts affects the IDF Navy as it has affected the entire IDF. The 'white uniforms' suffer from the same problems as the 'blue uniforms' and the 'green uniforms.' The operative conclusion reached by the IDF Navy was the same as that reached by the IAF: shorten the training courses and intensify the use of simulators for training, instruction and practice and system orientation. The basic training course at the IDF Navy training base, which lasted six months in the past, is now concluded within three to four months, so the professional skills acquired by the new seamen may be utilized more effectively.
At the same time, the number of simulator rooms at the IDF Navy training base has increased. Everything may be studied through the use of simulators: the seaman's tasks and procedures for the bridge of the missile frigate, driving a fast patrol boat, submarine system orientation, learning and practicing defensive and offensive procedures, courses for all levels, seamen and commanders, and even studying the laws of the sea. Most IDF Navy seamen and commanders must pass periodic competency tests on the simulator.
Long-serving naval officers possessing extensive sea experience are highly appreciative of today's young seamen: they are talented, highly motivated and most importantly – possess the ability to learn quickly, assimilate the operation of complex systems and command them within a short period of time. An 18-year-old recruit can study a sophisticated computer system, the likes of which are currently installed at the control bridges, in the battle management centers and in the engine rooms of surface and underwater vessels, within two days.
The IDF Navy is developing network-centric connectivity throughout the spectrum: from the depths of the sea through the ground to the air. "A submarine commander will be able to communicate with the commander of a ground force before and during a combined operation, and both will be able to direct the pilot of an F-15 fighter to his targets"
IDF Navy patrol boats (Photo: IDF)
The first trial operation of the naval version of the Iron Dome system was conducted in late 2017. It was the conclusion of a complex technological development process that lasted about eighteen months. The process included the development of a degree of stabilization that would enable the launching of an interceptor from the deck of a missile frigate exposed to the mercy of the waves and the sea. The testing of the Skylark UAV system, currently operated by the IDF Artillery Corps, and the modification thereof to naval operation, will continue this year. The system, designated "Rokhev Shamayim" (Hebrew for "Sky Rider"), may evolve into the "Doher Galim" (Hebrew for "Wave Galloper") – a system designed to provide the commander of a naval vessel with a status picture and tell him everything that goes on around his vessel. Both systems, the Iron Dome air-defense system and the ground-based/airborne Rokhev Shamayim system are being modified to serve as defensive assets for naval vessels and to assist in intelligence collection.
Here are a few examples of the core of the IDF Navy's activities in the next year and the coming years: a mix of defensive, offensive and intelligence collection capabilities, all being fully integrated into the network-centric connectivity efforts of the IDF as a whole.
"Within a year or two, the IDF Navy will be fully network-centric," said a senior officer at Navy HQ to Israel Defense, "Connectivity throughout the spectrum: from the depths of the sea, through the ground to the air. A submarine commander will be able to communicate with the commander of a ground force before and during a combined operation, and both will be able to direct the pilot of an F-15 fighter to his targets. A battalion commander on a mission in the Gaza Strip will be able to request extrication or fire support from a naval vessel or an aircraft, and he will accomplish that without speaking and very promptly. This is the significance of network-centric connectivity. At the 'pit' of the IDF Navy, you will be able to monitor the exact same picture they monitor at the 'pit' of the IAF."
Overseas, they are waiting patiently for the completion of the development and production stages of the future platforms of the 'White Force' – the platforms that would take part in attacks against enemy forces, in coping with threats and in defending the national assets. The sixth submarine, INS Dakar, is under construction in a German shipyard. The Sa'ar-6 missile frigate, the pride of the future surface combat fleet of the IDF Navy, is also under construction in Germany and will reach its home port sometime in 2019. The Sa'ar-6 frigate will be 25 years younger than the Sa'ar-4.5 and Sa'ar-5 missile frigates currently in service. Its equipment will enable it to collect intelligence and analyze current threats, and it will possess offensive and defensive capabilities based on cruise and ballistic missiles against the future generations of expected threats. The Sa'ar-6 frigate will be loaded with electronics, computers and electronic warfare systems.
Also in the not-too-distant future – the IDF Navy Squadron, or, if you will – the Israeli Navy's air arm. A process expected to be concluded in two to three years is currently underway: the AS-565 Panther (IAF designation "Atalef") helicopters will be replaced by Sea Hawk helicopters – the naval version of the Blackhawk helicopter (IAF designation "Yanshuf"). The helicopters will be joined by UAS. In the future, the IDF naval air arm will consist of a squadron of Sea Hawk helicopters and a squadron of Heron (IAF Designation "Shoval") UAVs.
These and other plans of the IDF Navy for the coming year are the derivatives of the situation in the region, the processes taking place in neighboring countries and the threat status, taking into consideration the tasks the State of Israel assigns to its naval arm: coastal defense, seaport defense, protecting the maritime routes, securing economic assets and coping with threats. "Israel is a sea-oriented country," they say in the IDF Navy, "A substantial percentage of the population lives along the coast. Nearly all exports and imports arrive and depart by sea. The power stations are located on the coast. We have offshore gas drilling rigs in operation. The rigs and the gas fields should be protected. One hit inflicted on an offshore gas drilling rig is enough to lead to power supply shortages in various parts of the country."
Naval Empowerment in the Region
The naval forces of neighboring countries and other countries in the region, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are also undergoing empowerment. In the Sinai – the peninsula where Egypt shares a land and sea border with Israel – there is a surge of terrorism. The Iranians are advancing in place of ISIS. Beyond the borders, there is international presence: enhanced Russian military presence, reduced US presence, and the French and British are also present. In recent years, several marine terrorist attacks have been recorded within a radius of 100 kilometers from Israel. At the IDF Navy HQ, there is no doubt that today's strategy of Hezbollah is offensive, as they acquire various types of weapon systems. Nasrallah has never disguised his intentions of hitting the ammonia tank near Haifa. Hezbollah is speaking about "conquering the Galilee" and hitting the offshore gas drilling rigs, and there was talk about imposing a naval blockade on the State of Israel by attacking the maritime routes.
There have been empowerment processes in the underwater medium, too: "Hezbollah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip are constantly addressing the underwater medium. They are definitely establishing diver units," they say at IDF Navy HQ. Today, it is not difficult to acquire underwater vehicles in the civilian market. Any organization can acquire underwater resources without advanced technologies, just as it is not difficult to acquire cheap drones or UAVs on eBay or through commercial websites, and convert innocent civilian platforms into tools of destruction at the hands of terrorists.
The nature and quality of the enemy forces and the targets have changed, too: in the past, there were navy-against-navy combat encounters between Israeli naval vessels and the enemy fleets. "You knew the forces facing you. You were familiar with their vessels and armament, and you referred to them. An enemy destroyer was a single clearly-defined target. Today you face twenty targets dispersed over a large area, and intelligence collection efforts are required in order to spot and identify the targets, classify them and then intercept and attack them," they say at IDF Navy HQ.
In the past, the IDF Navy attacked the enemy fleets in Port-Said (Egypt) or Lattakia (Syria), namely – it fought within the enemy's naval territory. In view of today's threats, the emphasis is placed on defending the national continuity, which includes maritime routes and offshore economic assets. As 100% protection can never be provided, you must switch to the offensive, and the IDF naval arm is preparing for this task very seriously and thoroughly.
The result is obvious: the amount of offensive weapon systems on board the IDF Navy vessels has increased considerably. They fit the vessels with much more ordnance and many additional intelligence collection capabilities. Hence the Barak-8 missile and aircraft defense system, and hence the naval Iron Dome system, which provides protection against sea-to-sea missiles, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. In the coming year, the efforts to develop the offensive capabilities of the naval vessels will continue at full steam. Additionally, the IDF Navy will acquire heavy missiles and long-range rockets, heavy warheads with penetration capabilities and lighter but highly accurate munitions that cause minimal collateral damage.
A relatively new task assigned to the naval arm is protecting Israel's offshore gas drilling rigs and gas fields. Naval vessels patrol the offshore rigs day and night, the people of the Navy assured us. However, the IDF Navy is not alone in this defensive project. The IAF is an active partner through its various aircraft, and satellites are employed as well. Situation appraisals are held regularly to consider the threats and the information available, and decisions are made accordingly as to the number of naval and aerial platforms to be assigned to the protection of the economic assets and the methods of operation to be employed. The make-up of the defense force is determined according to the risk and the relevant threats.
Simulators & Highly-Trained Personnel
Details regarding the platform make-up of the IDF Navy are regularly published by various websites, by Wikipedia and by the official websites of the world's naval forces. According to these publications, here is a breakdown of the arsenal of the IDF Navy.
7th Flotilla: 5 submarines plus one under construction. The existing five are the Dolphin class submarines (Dolphin, Leviathan & Tkuma) and the Dolphin-2 class submarines (Tanin, Rahav, and Dakar, which is currently under construction).
3rd Flotilla: 3 Sa'ar-5 missile frigates (Eilat, Lahav & Hanit) and 8 Sa'ar-4.5 missile frigates.
Dozens of Dvora-class fast patrol boats, including Super Dvora-class (Mk-2 & Mk-3) FPBs, Shaldag high-speed boats, Rafael Protector USVs (unmanned surface patrol vessels), and commando boats used by the 13th Flotilla (naval commandos).
As far as the personnel of the IDF Navy is concerned, the shortened compulsory service term of male conscripts affects the IDF Navy as it has affected the entire IDF. The 'white uniforms' suffer from the same problems as the 'blue uniforms' and the 'green uniforms.' The operative conclusion reached by the IDF Navy was the same as that reached by the IAF: shorten the training courses and intensify the use of simulators for training, instruction and practice and system orientation. The basic training course at the IDF Navy training base, which lasted six months in the past, is now concluded within three to four months, so the professional skills acquired by the new seamen may be utilized more effectively.
At the same time, the number of simulator rooms at the IDF Navy training base has increased. Everything may be studied through the use of simulators: the seaman's tasks and procedures for the bridge of the missile frigate, driving a fast patrol boat, submarine system orientation, learning and practicing defensive and offensive procedures, courses for all levels, seamen and commanders, and even studying the laws of the sea. Most IDF Navy seamen and commanders must pass periodic competency tests on the simulator.
Long-serving naval officers possessing extensive sea experience are highly appreciative of today's young seamen: they are talented, highly motivated and most importantly – possess the ability to learn quickly, assimilate the operation of complex systems and command them within a short period of time. An 18-year-old recruit can study a sophisticated computer system, the likes of which are currently installed at the control bridges, in the battle management centers and in the engine rooms of surface and underwater vessels, within two days.
