INS Yaffo (אח"י יפו) is an Israeli missile boat of the Shayetet 3 Flotilla, one of ten Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats. She was launched in 1998 at Israel Shipyards in the Port of Haifa. She has been a part of Israeli Navy since July 1, 1998.[1][2]

INS Yaffo (1998)
INS Yaffo, 2016
History
Israel
NameYaffo
BuilderIsrael Shipyards Ltd.
Launched1998
CommissionedJuly 1, 1998
StatusActive
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeSa'ar 4.5-class missile boat
Displacement488 tonnes (full load)
Length61.7 m (202 ft 5 in)
Beam7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)
Draft2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Propulsion4 MTU 16V 538 TB93 diesel engines, four shafts, total of 16,600 shp (12,400 kW)
Speed31 knots (57 km/h)
Range3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km) at 17 knots (31 km/h) 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km) at 30 knots (56 km/h)
Complement53 officers and crew
Armament

Construction

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Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats are enlarged variant of the Sa'ar 4 class.[3] New ships were quite longer, in order to take an augmented armament.[3]

INS Yaffo was built at Israel Shipyards in the Port of Haifa.[1][2] She was launched in 1998 and finished within few months.[1][2]

Description

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Harpoon missile launchers aboard twin unit Tarshish in 2009

The length of Yaffo is 61.7 metres (202 ft 5 in), the breadth is 7.6 metres (24 ft 11 in) and the draught is 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in).[4] This unit has a flush deck, short superstructure located in front of the midship and freeboard.[4] The full load displacement is 488 tonnes.[1][2] The main propulsion machinery are four compression-ignition MTU 16V538 TB93 engines, which total power is 16,000 shaft horsepower (12,000 kW).[1][4] The flank speed of this ship is 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph);[1][4] the range is 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) and 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).[1][2]

The primary armament is two quadruple launchers of American Harpoon anti-ship missiles, allocated directly behind the superstructure.[1][4] The missile is able to reach 130 km (81 mi), the speed is Mach 0.9 (1,100 km/h; 690 mph), the warhead weighs 227 kg (500 lb).[1][2] To the aft of these launchers, six single launchers of Israeli Gabriel Mark II missiles are allocated,[1][4] with a 75 kg (165 lb) warhead and a range of about 36 km (22 mi).[1][2] There are also two deck-mounted 8-fold anti-aircraft Barak 1 launchers with the range of 10 km (6.2 mi).[1][2]

The secondary armament consists of single, dual-purpose gun OTO Melara 76 mm, allocated abaft in a gun turret. The quadrant angle is 85°, the weight of the projectile is 6 kg (13 lb), the range is 16 km (9.9 mi) and the rate of fire is 85 rounds per minute (RPM). There are also two single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon with a range of 2 km (1.2 mi) and rate of fire of 900 RPM and one double (or quadruple) station for M2 Browning machine guns. Fore, close-in weapon system, Phalanx CIWS, is located.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Saunders, Stephen (2004). Jane’s Fighting Ships 2004-2005. London: Jane’s Information Group Ltd. p. 355. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Saunders, Stephen (2009). Jane’s Fighting Ships 2009-2010. London: Jane’s Information Group Ltd. p. 385. ISBN 0-7106-2888-9.
  3. ^ a b Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1996). Conway’s All The World’s Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 193. ISBN 1557501327.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Faulkner, Keith (2004). Jane’s Okręty Wojenne Przewodnik Encyklopedyczny (in Polish). Poznań: Zysk i S-ka. p. 330. ISBN 83-7298-588-X.