With its two subclasses, the Aliya-class and the Hetz-class, the Sa'ar 4.5-class has a
distinctive place in the world of the missile boat. They have many different features comparing
with their counterparts in the world. These fast attack crafts are the fruits of the Israeli
experiences in this field, forged in real combat. Now, we are investigating the Sa'ar
4.5-class, the modern Davids who challenge the Goliaths.
Please don't forget to subscribe to our channel, before we start and give us a thumbs up if
you like our video. To be notified of our new video, please click the bell button. Also,
now you can click the join button to support our channel.
Actually, describing the Sa'ar 4.5 as a single class is wrong. Its subclasses, the Aliya
and Hetz, are sisters, which have completely different features. Let's take a look at the
history of them. The early Israeli missile boats had been equipped
with the locally developed short-range Gabriels. But, in the late 1970s, Israel acquired the
long-range RGM-84 Harpoons from the USA. However, the Israeli Navy did not have over-horizon
targeting capability. So, it required a new vessel, which could accommodate a helicopter.
Actually, Isreal had already worked on this capability. In 1977, the Sa'ar 4-class INS
Tarshish had been modified for helicopter operations. The 76mm stern gun had been dismantled,
and the boat had been fitted with a helipad. Using this experience, Israel Shipyards began
the design works. The new boat would be a stretched version
of the previous Sa'ar 4-class. They would have a hangar and helipad. The
first vessel of the new class, now called Sa'ar 4.5, INS Aliya, was launched and commissioned
in 1980. In the beginning, the vessel had been designated
as the Chochit-class. Later, it re-named as the Aliya-class.
Initially, Israel had planned to build five vessels of this class.
But, because of the helipad and hangar, there was no space for a big gun on the boat.
Also, the Aliya-class could only carry a small number of the missile.
So, its combat capability was less than the Israeli Navy's expectations. Thus, Israel
began to consider acquiring bigger surface combatants with a helipad and hangar.
Later, this would become the Sa'ar 5 Programme. So, after completing the first two boats,
Israel Shipyards began to change the design. The other three vessels of the class would
be a more conventional missile boat. The first two, INS Romat and INS Keshet, were commissioned
in 1981 and 1982, respectively. The last boat, INS Nirit, was laid down in
1984. However, now Israel began to focus on the
Sa'ar 5-class. So, the Navy demanded some modification on the boat as a test platform
of the new corvette's subsystems. INS Nirit was fitted with vertical launching
systems for air defence missiles. Her deck was also highly modified. Because of these
modifications and budget cuts, the construction work on the boat took a long time. During
this time, her name was changed to INS Hetz. The vessel was launched in 1990 and commissioned
in 1991. The result was spectacular.
So, the previous INS Romach and INS Keshet were upgraded to match INS Hetz's specifications.
Now, these three boats have turned into another subclass of the Sa'ar 4.5, the Hetz-class,
while the INS Aliya and INS Geula became the Aliya-subclass.
Later, at first, three Sa'ar 4-class boats, INS Kidon, INS Tarshish, and INS Yaffo, rebuilt
as the Sa'ar 4.5-class in 1997 and 1998. As the second stage of this programme, another
two Sa'ar 4-class vessels, INS Herev, and INS Sufa, converted to the Hetz-class in 2002
and 2003. The semi-displacement steel hull is essentially
designed for high-speed sailing. The superstructure is made of aluminium alloys
and covered with radar-absorbent materials. The design also reduces the radar cross-section.
The superstructure is suitably cooled to minimize the thermal signature.
The boat's overall radar signature is also reduced thanks to the reduced profile of the
hull. Thanks to the increase in the dimensions,
compared to the previous Sa'ar 4-class, the Sa'ar 4.5-class provides better living conditions
for the crew. These vessels can operate in up to sea state
6. Today, Israel keeps only eight boats of the
Hetz-subclass. Two Aliya-subclass vessels were decommissioned
in 2004 and sold to Mexico. The Mexican Navy still operate them under the designation of
the Huracán-class. Also, the Hellenic Coast Guard has three of
the modified version of the Sa'ar 4.5. Two of them were built in Israel, and the last
one was built in Greece. These patrol boats have only a 30mm gun and two remote-controlled
12.7mm machine guns. Also, we should add that the OPV62-class patrol
boats of the Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Honduras, and Kazakhstan are designed based on the Sa'ar
4.5-class. The complement of the Hetz-subclass is 50-person.
It has a length of 61.7 metres, a beam of 7.6 metres, and a draft of 2.8 metres. The
standard displacement is 375 tons, while the fully-loaded displacement is 490 tons. Four
4,095 horsepower MTU 16V 538 TB93 diesel engines provide a maximum speed of 32 knots. The boat
can reach the range of 5,560 kilometres with an economical speed of 17 knots. Currently,
the Hetz-class has up to eight RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, two eight-cell vertical
launching systems for the Barak 1 air defence missiles, one 76mm Compatto gun, and one Mk
15 Phalanx close-in weapon system. Also, it is fitted with different calibre machine guns.
We should note that only the first three Hetz-class vessels have a length of 61.7 metres, while
the rest are 58 metres long. The complement of the Huracán-class of the
Mexican Navy is 47-person. It has 0.4 metres lesser draft and fully-loaded displacement
is 10 tons higher. These boats are fitted with four 3,500 horsepower MTU 16 V 956 TB
91 diesel engines, which provide a maximum speed of 31 knots. They can reach a range
of 7,400 kilometres. The armament consists of four Gabriel Mk2 anti-ship missiles, one
Mk 15 Phalanx close-in weapon system, and machine guns.
Let's take a look at the subsystems of these boats. The Huracán-subclass and Hetz-subclass
have H-band Neptune surface and air surveillance radars, whose range is 45 kilometres.
Some of the Hetz-class boats have been reequipped with the S-band EL/M-2258 ALPHA 3D long-range
air surveillance and tracking radar, whose range is 200 kilometres.
It can track a fighter size aircraft at a range of up to 120 kilometres and a sea-skimming
missile within up to 25 kilometres. The Mexican vessels are fitted with the I-band
RTV-10X Orion fire control radar. The Hetz-class has the EL/M-2221 dual-band
fire control radar, which consists of X and Ka-bands. This radar can track a highly manoeuvrable
air or surface target. Its target acquisition range is 30 kilometres
for the fighters and 15 kilometres for the missiles.
The radar can guide the Barak-1 missile is within a range of up to 10 kilometres.
The EL/M-2221 can direct the 76mm gun against a surface target within an effective range
of 20 kilometres. However, the effective directing range of the radar against air targets is
only 4 kilometres. The Hetz-class is equipped with three different
types of decoy launchers. Depending on the models, a total of 140 decoys on the vessel
provide a protective cover at a range of between 1.8 to 14 kilometres. This feature makes the
Hetz-class the best-protected missile boat in the world.
Initially, both subclasses were equipped with the Harpoon and Gabriel Mk 2 anti-ship missiles.
But, the Israeli Navy now retired the Gabriel Mk 2s.
The boats of the Mexican Navy do not have the Harpoons.
The RGM-84 Harpoon has a maximum speed of Mach 0.85 and a range of 124 kilometres. It
is fitted with a 222-kilogram warhead and a guidance system consisting of inertial navigation
and active radar. The semi-active radar and manual guided Gabriel
Mk 2 has a maximum speed of Mach 0.7 and a range of 36 kilometres. It is fitted with
a 150-kilogram warhead. The vertically launched Barak-1s provide 360-degree
air defence coverage. This command to line of sight guided missile has a speed of Mach
2, an effective range of 10 kilometres. It is equipped with a 22-kilogram warhead. The
missile, which has a reaction time of 6 seconds, can conduct 45 g manoeuvres.
The 76mm Compatto has an effective range of 4 kilometres for air targets and 16 kilometres
for surface targets. Its rate of fire is 85 rounds per minute.
The Mk 15 Phalanx close-in weapon system has an effective range of 1.5 kilometres and a
rate of fire of 4,500 rounds per minute. The Phalanx of some boats are dismantled.
Initially, the Sa'ar 4.5-class boats were equipped with 20mm guns.
But, later, they were dismantled. Today, the vessels are fitted with 7.62 or 12.7mm machine
guns, depending on the mission. If required, the Sa'ar 4.5-class can be fitted
with anti-submarine warfare systems, such as active low-frequency towed sonar and lightweight
homing torpedoes. Some sources claim that the Israeli Navy began
to equip its Hetz-class boats with the Spike-NLOS missiles for precision attack capability against
the coastal targets. These claims based on the photos were taken
in 2017. But, many other sources suggest that the launcher
boxes on the boat may also belong to Spyder or Iron Dome air defence missiles. There is
no official statement. As we mentioned before, the first two Sa'ar
4.5-class boats have aviation facilities. They are the smallest surface combatants with
a helipad and hangar. During the Israeli service, the Navy deployed
the Bell 206, MD 500, HH-65, or Panther helicopters on the vessels.
Today, the Huracán-class of the Mexican Navy generally carry the Bo 105CBS-5s.
Actually, the Israeli Navy had planned to use the helicopter for over-horizon targeting.
But, the performance was not satisfactory. Also, Israel has not experienced any long-range
naval engagement since the 1980s. So, generally, the utility and attack helicopters
had been deployed on the Aliya-class. Also, many times, the helipad had been used
for carrying inflatable boats and the hangar for accommodating the commandos.
Just before the 1982 Lebanon War, INS Geula was in the shipyard for repair. The works
completed immediately, and she joined the war as the command ship of the landing operation.
But, the boat had no heavy gun for fire support, and there was no target for its Harpoons and
Gabriels. So, INS Geula did not participate in the war with a firing in anger.
Two years later, two Aliya-class vessels were deployed to destroy a terrorist facility in
Nahr al-Bared, located in northern Lebanon. They were carrying a total of four MD 500
Defenders. Thus, for the first time, the Israeli Navy conducted a-ship based air operation
in real combat. These helicopters conducted successful precision
airstrikes against the targets by using their anti-tank missiles.
The Hetz-class has played important roles in Israeli operations since the early 2000s.
They were frequently used for fire support, shore shelling, and naval blockade missions.
One of the most notable took place in the Mediterranean in 2011. INS Sufa intercepted
the freighter Victoria, which headed to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Navy seized lots of
ammunition, including C-704 anti-ship missiles. Three years later, INS Hetz intercepted the
merchant vessel Klos C, which carried rockets for Hamas, in the Red Sea.
The Sa'ar 4.5-class was a logical next step for the Israeli missile boat programme. These
vessels were not just coastal water combatants. They have been one of the important elements,
which increase the blue water operational capability of the Israeli Navy. They have
supported the ground operations and protected the Israeli waterways. With their distinguished
service records, the Sa'ar 4.5-class turned into an unforgettable naval legend for Israel.
Thanks for watching our video. And please don't forget to subscribe to our channel and
give us a thumbs up if you liked our video. To be notified of our new videos, please click
the bell button. Also, you can now click the join button to support our channel.