An Israeli Navy (Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli) new SA'AR-6 class corvette, likely first ship in class INS Magen, started her initial sea trials on March 10, 2020. Several ship spotters images from the Kiel area in Germany show the vessel underway under her own power.
Israel Shipyards based in Haifa will design and build the Reshef-class vessels to replace the Israeli Navy (Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli) in service SA'AR 4.5 missile craft.
On May 23, 2019, the first SA'AR-6 class corvette was named INS Magen at a ceremony in Kiel. This marks another important milestone in the ongoing program of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) as General Contractor to build four next-generation missile corvettes for the Israeli Navy.
ELTA Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), was awarded a contract by the Systems Missiles and Space Group of IAI to supply to the Israeli Navy four ELM-2248 MF-STARs Multi-Function Digital Radars, based on the latest Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology.
Pictures taken during a visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the naval base in Haifa show that the Israeli Navy Sa'ar 4.5 Fast Attack Craft have been fitted with a loitering munition (kamikaz drone) launcher.
