Israeli Covette sunk
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Ship struck off Beirut shore; four crewmembers missing
Israeli vessel imposing sea blockade on Lebanon hit. Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah first to report of attack: 'Look at the warship that has attacked Beirut, while it burns and sinks before your very eyes'
Roee Nahmias and AP
VIDEO - Shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday night, it was reported that the stern of an Israeli navy war ship suffered a direct hit in an attack by Hizbullah, which damaged the helicopter landing pad area. The hit caused a conflagration, which was extinguished. No one was hurt in the fire.
Shortly afterwards, crewmembers assessed the damage to the ship and discovered the hit was more severe than originally thought, and had caused damage to the shipÂ’s internal operating systems. The security establishment was checking the possibility that the ship was hit by a drone loaded with explosives, or by rocket fire.
Moment of hit on navy ship (Video: Al-Manar)
The damaged ship was a Saar 5 navy gunship that was 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the Lebanese shore when it was hit, enforcing the sea blockade which was imposed on Lebanon Thursday. The ship is crewed by 80 sailors.
Just Thursday, hours after the navy began enforcing the sea blockade on Lebanon, head of naval operations Brig.-Gen. Noam Feig told Ynet that the navy was acting under the assumption of an existant threat.
He noted that the ships' officers were instructed in the proper protocol to avoid being targeted by Hizbullah. Until Friday no attempt to hit navy war ships had been made, but according to a senior commander the navy had never ruled out such scenarios, including hits by explosives laden boats.
Video: Danny Dagan
Nasrallah on attack
Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was the first to report of the attack on the Israeli warship.
Speaking defiantly in an audiotape aired on Hizbullah's Al-Manar television, Nasrallah addressed himself to Israelis, saying: "You wanted an open war and we are ready for an open war."
"Soon you will find how stupid your new government is and how it is incapable of reading the situation. It has no experience. You said in your opinion polls that you believe me more than anyone else. Believe me now – you attacked every house in Lebanon and you will pay for that," he said.
"Look at the warship that has attacked Beirut, while it burns and sinks before your very eyes," Nasrallah said. It was not clear whether he meant that the warship had already been attacked. Officials would not give the vessel's exact location.
Nasrallah spoke after Israeli missiles struck Hizbullah headquarters and his house in southern Beirut. His address, however, appeared to be pre-recorded, and Nasrallah did not refer to the missile attack on his offices and residence.
Nasrallah's announcement was greeted with heavy celebratory fire that rang out across the Lebanese capital.
The Hezbollah leader repeated a threat to hit the Israeli coastal city of Haifa and other towns farther south. "We will reach Haifa, and believe me, even beyond Haifa."
"Our homes will not be the only ones to be destroyed, our children will not be the only ones to die," Nasrallah added. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3275792,00.htm -
It was not sunk. Towed back.
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correction. Struck not sunk, It was pulled back to port.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Saturday the Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah had fired an Iranian-made guided missile at one of its naval ships off Beirut and not hit it with an explosives-laden drone as previously claimed.
A military source said a C802 radar-guided missile with a range of 60 miles (100 km) had been fired at the ship as it sat off the coast on Friday, enforcing a blockade on Lebanon's ports.
Israeli media reported that Hizbollah had said it had hit the ship with a drone packed with explosives.
The missile strike caused substantial damage to the vessel and left four sailors missing. Israel recovered the body of one of the four on Saturday. The ship was towed back to port in Haifa, still smouldering from the attack.
"This is sophisticated weaponry," the Israeli military source said. "This is advanced weaponry that is being supplied by one terrorist state (Iran) to another," he said.
The source said two of the land-to-sea missiles were fired on Friday. The other hit and sank an Egyptian merchant ship, he said. Egypt has not confirmed the loss of a merchant vessel.
Israel believes Hizbollah, a group backed by Iran and Syria, has between 10,000 and 12,000 rockets in its arsenal with a variety of ranges, from around 30 km to 70 km.
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-07-15T130158Z_01_ALL546893_RTRIDST_0_OZATP-MIDEAST-ISRAEL-SHIP-20060715.XML&archived=False -
According to the Haaretz.com Report, the INS Spear, a Saar-5 Class covette was hit by an Iranian made , land mobile Chinese developed C-802 Anti-ship missile:
C-802 / YJ-2 / Ying Ji-802
CSS-C-8 / SACCADE
C-8xx / YJ-22
The Ying-Ji-802 land attack and anti-ship cruise missile [Western designation SACCADE], is an improved version of the C-801 which employs a small turbojet engine in place of the original solid rocket engine. The weight of the subsonic (0.9 Mach) Yingji-802 is reduced from 815 kilograms to 715 kilograms, but its range is increased from 42 kilometers to 120 kilometers. The 165 kg. (363 lb.) warhead is just as powerful as the earlier version. Since the missile has a small radar reflectivity and is only about five to seven meters above the sea surface when it attacks the target, and since its guidance equipment has strong anti-jamming capability, target ships have a very low success rate in intercepting the missile. The hit probability of the Yingji-802 is estimated to be as high as 98 percent. The Yingji-802 can be launched from airplanes, ships, submarines and land-based vehicles, and is considered along with the US "Harpoon" as among the best anti-ship missiles of the present-day world.
Following the 1991 Gulf War Iran imported the C-802 antiship cruise missile from China. China suspended exports in 1996 in response to comlaints by the the United States. In December 1996 Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, John Shalikashivili, warned Chinese Defense Minister General Chi Haotian that arms exports would increase destabilizing factors in the region. No international agreement bans transfers of anti-ship missiles, and the C-802 is not covered by the MTCR, which controls exports of ballistic and cruise missiles that can deliver 500 kg. warheads to 300 km. Iran expected to purchase 150 C-802 missiles from China but only received a half of them because of the arms suspension. By mid-1997 Iran reportedly possessed some 60 of the missiles deployed in coastal batteries on Qeshm Island, a strategic point on the eastern side of the Arabian peninsula. In 1997, General J.H. Binford Peay, Central Command commander, said that China transferred 20 patrol boats with 15 equipped with C-802 missiles (Washington Times, January 29, 1997). [Some reports claim that China may have transferred hundreds of C-802s, although these claims are not widely attested].
In early 2000 it was reported that North Korea and Iran were jointly developing an advanced version of the C-802 cruise missile. These missiles initially acquired by Iran were not equipped with advanced systems, and the missiles acquired by Iran were rather outdated. Iran turned to North Korea for missile system technology, and the two countries are jointly developing an upgraded version with improved accuracy. ["N. Korea, Iran Jointly Develop Missile: Report" Korea Times February 17, 2000]
The precise application of the YJ-8 designation remains somewhat obscure, as it is used with reference to both C-801 and C-802 missiles, and may be the overall designator for the weapon system that fires both types of missiles.
The YJ-22 is a land-attack cruise missile development of the anti-ship C-802 with a 400km range, and possible GPS/TM guidance currently said to be under development with an IOC expected after 2005. -
wow it's escalating into a full out war
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The C802 missile? I seriously doubt so. Bcos the Chinese series of anti-ship missile is a reverse engineer of the French Exocet, considering the ship is a corvette, wouldn't the ship sink? As I thought a typical Ashm would sink anything frigate and smaller. Does this also imply that Chinese made weapons have a high lvl of sophistication so much that Israeli made decoys are useless against them?
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No, i suspect that the crew did not have time to react to the missile.
A mach 0.9 missile being launched (i suspect) 16kms away, from shore, would have given the corvette less than 1 min to react. Chances are, by the time they know there is a missile coming at them, it would prolly be 45+ secs left. -
Originally posted by CenturionMBT
The fact that the Saar-5 corvette which is being struck is undeniable but the mode of attack is unconfirmed. There are reports that the explosion is cause by a drone laden with explosives. I think this is a more likely scenario as if it is being struck by an anti-ship missile at such a close range it will most likely be sunk, unless of course the warhead fail to explode.
A military source said a C802 radar-guided missile with a range of 60 miles (100 km) had been fired at the ship as it sat off the coast on Friday, enforcing a blockade on Lebanon's ports.
Israeli media reported that Hizbollah had said it had hit the ship with a drone packed with explosives.
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Would the Phalax and CWIS gun systems be of help at that point of time?
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Soldier killed, 3 missing after Navy vessel hit off Beirut coast
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Staff and News Agencies
The body of one of the four missing Israel Defense Forces soldiers on a warship that was attacked by Hezbollah off the coast of Lebanon was found Saturday aboard the damaged vessel, military officials said. He was identified as Staff Sergeant Tal Amgar, 21, from Ashdod.
The three MIA soldiers have been named as Sergeant Yoni Hershkovitz, 21, from Haifa; Corporal Shai Atias, 19, from Rishon Letzion and First Staff Sergeant Dov Shteinshos, 37, from Carmiel.
Navy sources said Saturday that it is likely that the bodies of the three missing men are also in the rear of the ship.
The incident occured close to 8 P.M., west of Beirut, when the INS Spear, a Saar-5 Class destroyer, was on patrol as part of the naval blockade imposed on Lebanon since Wednesday.
The Saar-5 class is equipped with very advanced defensive systems. However, these were not in operation at the time of attack, partly because of the number of IAF aircraft operating in the area. It was feared that if the system was in operation, it would mistakenly identify friendly aircraft as enemy targets and engage them.
The Navy has already issued new orders to its vessels operating off Lebanon.
The missile struck the vessel near its helicopter landing pad at the rear of the ship. A large explosion caused the landing pad to cave in and be engulfed in flames that threatened the aviation fuel storage below.
The blaze and the darkness made it difficult to discern the nature of the attack and the missing soldiers. Repeated count of the crew showed that four were missing. Only later was one body discovered in the rear of the ship.
Initial assessment held that the ship had been struck by an unmanned aerial vehicle loaded with explosives. However, later in the night it became clear that a missile had hit INS Spear.
The missile, is a C-802 radar-guided anti-shipping missile manufactured in Iran using Chinese technology. Its range is estimated to be about 110 km.
Apparently two such missiles were fired on Friday night, one of them hitting INS Spear and the other a Cambodian-flagged freighter, 60 km off shore. A dozen Egyptian sailors from the freighter were picked up by another commercial vessel after their ship sunk following the missile strike.
According to Brigadier General Noam Feig, head of the naval shipyards, the Saar-5 crew "fought the flames and managed to regain self-propulsion. For a while the ship had lost some of its ability to maneuver."
Close to midnight the ship made its way to port where its rudders were repaired.
IDF sources said Saturday that Iran transfered the C-802 missiles to Hezbollah, although intelligence officers noted that they were not sure whether Iranian advisers were involved in the launching of the missiles.
Brigadier Feig said that the Navy had no intelligence that such missiles were in the Hezbollah arsenal. "We were under the impression that we were operating beyond the range of missiles," he said.
In response to the attack, naval and air forces destroyed radar stations belonging to the Lebanese army. IDF sources said that the Lebanese army radar took part in the attack against INS Spear.
The head of operations at the General Staff, Major General Gadi Eisenkot, said Saturday that the IDF would attack Lebanese army positions only if they attacked IDF forces. -
Could there be a possiblitiy that the crew did not expect the aggressor to have high lvl sophisticated Ashm thus did not carry out adequate preventive measures? I was wondering those land based Ashm are considered high value assets, thus why the IAF did not bother to destroy them before the blockade
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in other news:
Israel: Hezbollah Rocket Hits Civilian Ship[
Israeli Army Says Hezbollah Rocket Fire Strikes Civilian Ship
By JOSEF FEDERMAN
The Associated Press
JERUSALEM - A Hezbollah rocket barrage aimed at Israeli warships missed their target and struck a civilian ship in the Mediterranean Sea, Israeli military officials said early Saturday.
The officials did not know the nationality of the ship, or whether there were casualties. They spoke on condition of anonymity under military regulations.
Earlier, a Hezbollah attack struck an Israeli warship, causing heavy damage to the vessel.
(source: ABC News) -
I believe the crew turned off their point defense FCR to increase stealth.Originally posted by equlus84:The C802 missile? I seriously doubt so. Bcos the Chinese series of anti-ship missile is a reverse engineer of the French Exocet, considering the ship is a corvette, wouldn't the ship sink? As I thought a typical Ashm would sink anything frigate and smaller. Does this also imply that Chinese made weapons have a high lvl of sophistication so much that Israeli made decoys are useless against them? -
Increase what stealth? YouÂ’r shelling ashore like broadcasting yourself or in another word---show off, when uÂ’r ambushed by the retaliated missile. Show off is nothing to do with stealthOriginally posted by LazerLordz:I believe the crew turned off their point defense FCR to increase stealth.
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Wah, impressive that guerillas posses anti-ship missiles.
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A glance at SAAR 5 missile boat:
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/saar5/
Sa'ar 5 Class (INS Eilat) Multi-Mission Corvettes, Israel
COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEMS
The Unified Combat System is integrated by IAI (Israel Aircraft Industries) MBT division, with Elbit (combat data systems) and Tadiran (communications systems) as major subcontractors. The ship's combat system provides multiple offensive and defensive capabilities. Target, weapon status, and threat evaluation information is available to all fire control and launcher systems via the ship's databus.
El-Op's MSIS electro-optic surveillance and fire control system is fitted on the Eilat, which contains an 8–12 micron thermal imager, TV camera and laser rangefinder. El-Op received a contract in January 2003 to upgrade the MSIS. The upgraded system will include a new third-generation thermal imager with increased sensitivity and resolution.
BARAK AND HARPOON MISSILES
The ship's anti-air capability is based on the Barak missile system developed by IAI and Rafael. Two 32-cell vertical launch systems are installed on the raised gun deck at the bow of the ship. The range of the Barak missile is 10km and it is armed with a 22kg warhead. It also has an anti-surface target capability.
The ship has two four-cell Boeing Harpoon missile launchers. The Harpoon surface-to-surface missile has a range of up to 130km. The speed is high subsonic and the warhead weighs 227kg.
The ship's short to medium-range anti-ship missile is the IAI Gabriel II. There are eight launchers for the Gabriel II missile which uses dual mode semi-active and active radar homing with a 100 kg warhead. The range is from 6 to 36km and missile velocity is 0.6 Mach.
GUNS
The ship is equipped either a Raytheon / General Dynamics Mk 15 Phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS) or Oto Melara 76mm gun. Phalanx has a 20mm gun which can fire at 3,000 rounds/min and Ku-band search and tracking radar. Range is 1.5km.
ALLIANT TECHSYSTEMS MARK 46 TORPEDOES
The ship is fitted with six 324mm Mark 32 torpedo tubes for ATK (Alliant Techsystems) Mark 46 torpedoes which have active and passive homing. They are armed with a 44kg warhead and range is 24km. The launch tubes are mounted in the superstructure about halfway along the length of the ship.
HELICOPTER
Airborne anti-submarine warfare capability is provided by the ship's helicopter. The ship's helicopter hangar can accommodate an H-665A Dauphin, Kaman SH-2F or Sikorsky S-76N helicopter.
COUNTERMEASURES
CountermeasCountermeasures include the AN/SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy system from Sensytech Inc of Newington, Virginia, which seduces approaching torpedoes away from the ship. The Sa'ar 5 corvettes' radar warning receiver Elisra NS-9003/9005 is also installed on the Israeli Navy Sa'ar 4 and Sa'ar 4.5 patrol craft. Three Elbit Deseaver stabilised chaff rocket launchers are mounted on the forward and aft towers.
SENSOR SUITE
The air search radar antenna is installed on the aft tower. The Elta EL/M-2218S air search radar operates in E/F bands. The 2D/3D radar antenna, the fire control director and the I-band navigation radar antenna are installed on the forward tower. The fire control radar is the I/J/K-band EL/M-2221 GM STGR from Elta.
The Sa'ar is equipped with Type 796 hull-mounted search-and-attack sonar, which operates at medium frequency and is supplied by EDO of New York. The ship's towed sonar array is supplied by Rafael.
PROPULSION SYSTEM
The ship's propulsion system is in a CODOG combined diesel or gas configuration. The two MTU 12V 1163 TB82 diesel engines are rated at 6,600hp. The GE LM 2500 gas turbine system is cross-connected and provides 30,000hp. -
HereÂ’s a rare video clip showing a FFG believed to be belonged to Royal Thai Navy test fire C801 Antiship missile. The C802 is the improved version of C801
http://myvlog.im.tv/?id=480034&mid=288422
( Flash 9 is required to view the video) -
the boat is a modern well equipped combatant. no way a drone could escape its attention. must be a missile; in which case israeli's intelligence were caught with their pants down. -
Must be quite a missile...kena struck and still not sure what hit it
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But if it is a modern anti ship missile, the corvette would have sunk long ago rite? Btw, if it is realli a C802 by the Chinese, it post as a new interesting dimension. Firstly, it would mean the Chinese have reached a high lvl of technological advancement in the arena of weapon making. Another point is that the Chinese QC is so poor that the missile did not explode as expected.
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Hmm, if Iran is indeed supplying Hezbollah with C802s, the proverbial's going to hit the fan. Iran and Syria are already waist-deep in this mess, but this could bring things up one big notch.
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whatever the make of the missile/drone, the boat was 16 km from the nearest land.
perhaps all of us can learn something from this fact. -
Hizbollah or hezbollah?
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His Bolas.Originally posted by wonderamazement:Hizbollah or hezbollah? -
Originally posted by sgf:His Bolas.