The Israeli Navy completed a complex test of the Gabriel V anti-ship missile system in August. This was the first anti-ship missile test from the new Sa’ar 6 corvette of the Israeli Navy. The IDF announced the successful test firing yesterday. According to the IDF, the test firing was also an opportunity to test the combat systems of INS Oz, the second Sa’ar 6-class corvette.
The video indicates that the missile was fired at a mock ship and successfully hit the target. The officials didn’t share information about the details of the test fire, such as the firing area, target range, and so on.
“The Gabriel V Naval Missile System will strengthen the Sea Arm’s (Israel Navy) operational and defensive capabilities in the maritime domain, in a variety of arenas, and in a variety of tasks.”
Lieutenant Colonel Guy Goldfarb, Israeli Navy’s Chief of Staff
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) CEO Boaz Levy also commented on the recent test firing, saying, “IAI is proud of the success of the test conducted with the Gabriel 5 missile aboard the advanced Sa’ar 6 ships, and of the close cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the Navy. The combination of these capabilities on the Sa’ar 6 is a leap and a significant step in the field of naval warfare to protect the strategic assets of the State of Israel.“
About Gabriel V anti-ship missile
Gabriel 5 is an advanced long-range sea-launched missile system capable of flying hundreds of kilometers in varying sea and air conditions. The missile’s effectiveness enables it to thwart and destroy a wide range of targets and threats.
After the Finnish Ministry of Defence inked a deal with IAI on Gabriel V procurement, the Finnish Navy (Merivoimat) unveiled some details about its future anti-ship missile.
The official information released by the Finnish Navy in December 2019 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
