According to the information freshly published on the Finnish Navy website, the Gabriel V will be designated locally as the “2020 system” (2020-järjestelmä). It will replace the in-service ” 85M-järjestelmän” (MTO 85M) which is the local designation of the RBS15 anti-ship missile by Saab which will reach the end of its life in the 2020s. The “Merivoimat” also share two highly detailed CGIs of the missile, giving for the very first time a clear view of its design.
The Gabriel V is set to be fitted aboard the existing Hamina-class fast attack craft (as part of their mid-life update) and aboard the future Pohjanmaa-class corvettes (Squadron 2020 program). Both ship classes will then share several systems in common including the anti-ship missile (as well as the 9LV combat system and Torpedo 47 by Saab).
The Finnish Navy page makes mention of land based missiles as well, fitted on vehicle platforms.
About Gabriel V anti-ship missile
The procurement of the Israel Aerospace Industries-developed Gabriel V anti-ship missile system was approved by Finnish defense minister Jussi Niinistö on July 5 2018.
The Israeli missile was selected as part of a fierce competition involving Boeing’s Harpoon, Kongsberg’s NSM, MBDA’s Exocet and Saab’s RBS15.
The official information released yesterday by the Finnish Navy provides the following technical specifications:
- Range: over 200 km
- Seeker: Active radar seeker with advanced anti-jam features, all-weather capability, wide search range and good discrimination resolution
- Warhead: Penetrating warhead
- Engine: Jet engine
- Navigation: GPS / INS, multiple waypoints
- Length: 5.5 m
- Weight: 1250 kg
- Speed: Subsonic
- Manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, IAI
For more details (and rumors) about the secretive Gabriel V, you may head over to this page by the excellent Finnish blogger Corporal Frisk.
