Mig-29
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The Israel Navy (IN) has abandoned its plan to procure the US Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as the baseline for a future surface combatant.
Instead the service is exploring the suitability of Germany's Blohm+Voss (B+V) MEKO A-100 corvette family with a high degree of Israeli content.
The IN is also hoping to move construction of the new 2,200-tonne corvettes in-country, with Israel Shipyards identified as the likely builder. The shipyard has primarily delivered fast attack craft to the IN, but was also responsible for local integration of the 1,295-tonne Eilat-class (Sa'ar 5) corvettes during the 1990s.
The decision follows two feasibility studies conducted by the IN in partnership with Lockheed Martin on the suitability of the LCS for Israeli requirements. It also marks another reversal of course, since the LCS had replaced earlier plans for corvettes or patrol ships.
"Rising costs of the LCS have forced us to look at other options," a senior IN source told Jane's on 1 July. The IN assessed that the procurement of the LCS platform combined with Israeli combat systems could cost more than USD600 million per vessel.
A proposal by Northrop Grumman to build an expanded version of the IN's Sa'ar 5 corvette was also rejected due to an estimated cost of USD450 million per vessel.
Israel abandons LCS plan and eyes MEKO A-100 design
Instead the service is exploring the suitability of Germany's Blohm+Voss (B+V) MEKO A-100 corvette family with a high degree of Israeli content.
The IN is also hoping to move construction of the new 2,200-tonne corvettes in-country, with Israel Shipyards identified as the likely builder. The shipyard has primarily delivered fast attack craft to the IN, but was also responsible for local integration of the 1,295-tonne Eilat-class (Sa'ar 5) corvettes during the 1990s.
The decision follows two feasibility studies conducted by the IN in partnership with Lockheed Martin on the suitability of the LCS for Israeli requirements. It also marks another reversal of course, since the LCS had replaced earlier plans for corvettes or patrol ships.
"Rising costs of the LCS have forced us to look at other options," a senior IN source told Jane's on 1 July. The IN assessed that the procurement of the LCS platform combined with Israeli combat systems could cost more than USD600 million per vessel.
A proposal by Northrop Grumman to build an expanded version of the IN's Sa'ar 5 corvette was also rejected due to an estimated cost of USD450 million per vessel.
Israel abandons LCS plan and eyes MEKO A-100 design
