Israel Shipyards has won a contract to supply an undisclosed number of 32 m-long Shaldag Mk V fast patrol craft to the navy of an “East Asian” country.
The company announced in a 12 May statement that the contract ‒ which was signed between itself, the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and the customer ‒ includes technology transfer and instruction in the build and maintenance of the vessels, as well an upgrade of the customer’s shipyard for this purpose.
“At Israel Shipyards we work tirelessly to enable our customers to receive a comprehensive and long-term solution for their various needs in securing their maritime borders ‒ from the construction of vessels suitable for missions in the region, to knowledge transfer services that enable long-term savings for the customer,” said CEO Eitan Zucker.
The Shaldag Mk V is an all-aluminium patrol craft with a full-load displacement of 95 tonnes and a draught of 1.25 m. The vessel is operated by a 10-person crew complement and can travel at a maximum stated speed of about 40 kt out to a range of 1,000 n miles at 12 kt. It can be armed with naval guns and missile launchers.
Further details of the deal, including the identity of the customer, were not disclosed. However, it is possible that the vessels are aimed at addressing a Philippine Navy requirement for missile-capable fast attack interdiction crafts (FAIC-M), with the Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) earlier issuing a notice of award (NOA) to Israel Shipyards for eight missile-capable FAIC-M platforms in early 2021.
Valued at approximately US$128 million, the NOA also included upgrade works to the Philippine Navy’s facilities, although it did not disclose the type of vessel that will be supplied by the shipyard. A separate NOA worth around US$79 million had also been issued to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for weapon systems to arm the new vessels.
by Jr Ng
