Sa'ar 5

A stealth-shaped corvette class that formed the backbone of the Israeli Navy's surface fleet for decades, combining a low radar profile with a Phalanx CIWS, Harpoon missiles and a helicopter deck. It is gradually being supplemented by the newer Sa'ar 6 class.

In service since 1994 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

1,075

4,500

nmi

crew

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Israeli export-licensed

Israeli MoD (DECA/SIBAT) licensing; active export programme.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 1994. Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: Phalanx CIWS
Torpedo tubes Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships).: 6

Stronger than 69% of warships

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 85.64 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes — the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.: 1,075 t
Full-load displacement Displacement fully loaded with fuel, stores and munitions.: 1,275 t
Max speed Top speed in knots (surfaced, for submarines). Higher aids positioning and screening.: 33 kn

Top 4% of warships
Range Cruising range in nautical miles. Nuclear vessels are effectively unlimited (fuel-wise). Higher means more reach without replenishment.: 4,500 nmi

Stronger than 28% of warships
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.: 74
Propulsion plant Machinery type — nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.: CODOG (gas turbine + diesel)

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.: EL/M-2218S search radar
Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.: EL/M-2218S, hull-mounted sonar

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 45% of warships

Specifications compiled from public Israel Shipyards and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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