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INS *Keshet* (1982)
History
Israel
Name	Keshet
Builder	Israel Shipyards Ltd.
Launched	October 1982
Commissioned	November 1982
Status	Active
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boat
Displacement	488 tonnes (full load)
Length	61.7 m (202.43 ft)
Beam	7.6 m (24.93 ft)
Draft	2.5 m (8.20 ft)
Propulsion	4 MTU 16V 538 TB93 diesel engines, four shafts, total of 16,600 shp (12,400 kW)
Speed	31 knots (57 km/h)
Range	3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km) at 17 knots (31 km/h) 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km) at 30 knots (56 km/h)
Complement	53 officers and crew
Armament	8 x RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles; 6 x Gabriel Mark II anti-ship missiles; 16 x Barak 1 surface-to-air missiles; 1 x OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun; 2 or 4 x 0.5 in (12.70 mm) caliber M2 Browning machine guns; 2 x 12.7 mm general-purpose machine guns ; 1 x 20 mm Phalanx CIWS;

INS Keshet is an Israeli missile boat of the Shayetet 3 Flotilla, one of ten Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats. She was launched in 1982 by Israel Shipyards at the Port of Haifa. She has been a part of Israeli Navy since November 1982.^[1]^[2]

Construction

Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats are an enlarged version of the Sa'ar 4 class.^[3] New ships were longer and consequently they take an augmented armament.^[3]

INS Keshet was built at the Israel Shipyards in Port of Haifa. She was launched in October 1982.^[1]^[2]

Dimensions and drive

The length of this unit 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] She 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 total power of engines is 16,000 horsepower (12,000 kW).^[1]^[4] Keshet is proppeled by four MTU 16V538 TB93 Diesel engines. The flank speed of her is 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph);^[1]^[4] the range is 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at a speed of about 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).^[3]^[5]

Armament

The primary armament is two quadruple launchers of American Harpoon anti-ship missiles, both allocated 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) and the weight of the warhead is 227 kg (500 lb).^[1]^[2] Behind them, there are six single launchers of Israeli Gabriel Mark II missiles^[1]^[4] with a 75 kg (165 lb) warhead and a range of about 36 km (22 mi).^[1]^[2] In service, the Israeli Navy set two 8-fold anti-aircraft Barak 1 launchers with the range of a projectile of 10 km (6.2 mi), making the armament identical to one in INS Hetz.^[1]^[2]

The secondary armament consists of single, dual-purpose gun OTO Melara 76 mm, allocated abaft in a gun turret. 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). The angle of elevation is 85°.^[5]^[1] 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.^[5]^[1] The bow is armed with close-in weapon system, Phalanx CIWS,^[3]^[4] with the rate of fire 3,000 RPM, and the range 1,500 m (1,600 yd).^[5]^[1]

References

^ ^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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Saunders, Stephen (2009). Jane’s Fighting Ships 2009-2010. London: Jane’s Information Group Ltd. p. 385. ISBN 0-7106-2888-9.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1996). Conway’s All The World’s Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 193. ISBN 1557501327.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Faulkner, Keith (2004). Jane’s Okręty Wojenne Przewodnik Encyklopedyczny (in Polish). Poznań: Zysk i S-ka. p. 330. ISBN 83-7298-588-X.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Sharpe, Richard (1989). Jane’s Fighting Ships 1989-90. London: Jane’s Defence Data. p. 285. ISBN 0-7106-0886-1.