IAI integrates advanced combat suite, air defense systems into Israeli Navy's Sa'ar-6 corvettes

The systems are said to track a wide range of targets, provide a detailed picture of the area, and supply data to the other control, defense and support systems, facilitating timely and effective responses to threats 

IAI integrates advanced combat suite, air defense systems into Israeli Navy's Sa'ar-6 corvettes

Photo: IAI

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said Sunday that it is integrating offensive and defensive systems to enhance the capabilities of the Israeli Navy's Sa'ar-6 corvettes and usher the Navy into a new technological era under the guidance of the Ministry of Defense and the IDF. 

IAI, together with Navy and the ministry's Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, completed the first phase of installing MF-STAR radars on the Sa'ar-6 corvettes and will continue to integrate the Barak MX Air Defense System on the vessels. The radars will locate and classify air and surface targets and help build an advanced and detailed picture of areas under surveillance. The MF-STAR radar system, one of the world's most advanced radar systems, is integrated with all surveillance sensors on every one of the Navy's new warships. The radar system is also an important component of the Barak MX Air Defense System, and provides a layer of defense against advanced aerial and naval threats, according to IAI.

The MF-STAR systems are based on advanced technology including active electronic scanning array (AESA) developed by IAI's ELTA Systems. These systems reduce the target acquisition response time, and provide advanced ability to accurately and simultaneously track a wide range of targets. The radar provides an optimal picture of the maritime situation as well as hemispheric protection to all accompanying forces. The radars are an integral component of defending the airspace and territorial waters, including strategic assets such as natural gas rigs, against rockets, enemy aircraft and more. Upon identifying a threat, the radar immediately supplies all required data to each control, defense and support systems on deck, enabling key decisionmakers to respond to the threat in real time. The MF-STAR radar includes four radar panels that provide 360-degree hemispherical coverage around the vessel, IAI said. 

The Barak MX Air Defense System developed by IAI's Systems, Missiles and Space Division is one of the world's advanced operational defense systems, and is used by IDF land and naval forces and the Indian Navy and Air Force. The system provides both wide-area and targeted defense against an array of threats, including ones on land, in the air and at sea. The Barak MX includes cutting-edge systems such as digital radar, a weapon control system, launchers, and a range of interceptors for different ranges with advanced homing devices, data-link communication and system wide connectivity, according to the company

Boaz Levy, President and CEO of IAI, said "The combat and air defense systems installed on the Sa'ar corvettes represents the significant tier now being integrating on the rest of Israel’s air defense array, an integral aspect of IAI’s system wide naval solutions. IAI, the home of the Israeli Navy’s systems, is proud to begin integrating these systems on missile boats, in close cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the Israeli Navy. Deploying the world’s most advanced radar system of its kind, based on decades of ELTA's radar production know-how, is the cornerstone for a wide range of systems with the ability to act as a force multiplier for the Navy, for the IDF and for the State of Israel."