Sa'ar 5-class

The Sa'ar 5-class corvettes were designed in Israel as a development of the Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats. The vessels were constructed in the United States by Huntington Ingalls Industries, formerly Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding. The class consists of three ships: INS Eilat, INS Lahav, and INS Hanit. The first vessel was launched in February 1993, and the class entered service in February 1993. These vessels were the largest surface ships in the Israeli Navy until the introduction of the Sa'ar 6 class.

The ships utilize a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion system. For detection and fire control, the class is equipped with several radar systems. INS Eilat and INS Hanit utilize the EL/M-2258 ALPHA rotating AESA S-band multifunction radar. INS Lahav was upgraded in 2014 with the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR, which consists of four fixed AESA S-band radar faces. Undersea warfare capabilities include a hull-mounted sonar and a towed sonar array. The electronic warfare suite includes the AN/SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy, Deseaver rocket decoy launchers, and radar warning receivers. The vessels feature a permanent hangar and flight deck to support a Eurocopter AS565 Panther helicopter.

The class has been involved in several Mediterranean and Red Sea operations. During the 2006 Lebanon War, INS Hanit was struck by a C-802 anti-ship missile while patrolling off the coast of Beirut. The missile hit the ship’s crane and damaged the helicopter pad, resulting in the deaths of four crew members. The vessel’s defense systems, including the Barak anti-missile system and electronic countermeasures, were in a standby mode at the time of the attack. Following three weeks of repairs, the ship returned to active duty. In August 2009, INS Eilat and INS Hanit transited the Suez Canal into the Red Sea. In May 2010, INS Lahav and INS Hanit participated in the naval operation to intercept a convoy during the Gaza flotilla raid.