In the early hours of this morning, the Israel Navy attacked energy infrastructure that serves the regime of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, some 2,000 kilometers from Israel’s shores. The strikes were aimed at the Sanaa area, in an attempt to raise the pressure on Iran’s proxies in Yemen to stop launching ballistic missiles and UAVs at Israel.
The strike was carried out by naval vessels stationed in the Red Sea, led by a Sa’ar 6 missile ship, originally intended for protecting the gas production platforms in the Mediterranean. The Sa’ar 6 class ships are equipped with advanced radar and high-quality protection systems. They carry the maritime version of the Iron Dome rocket interception system C-Dome, which forms part of Israel’s layered air defenses. In December 2023, the fourth and last of the Sa’ar 6 class ships was commissioned, and already at that time Israel conveyed the message to the pro-Iranian militias, the Houthi rebels, and Iran itself, that Flotilla 3 was deployed in the Red Sea to protect Israel against threats from the south and east, with 1,000 personnel at sea.
Israel also has Dolphin AIP (air-independent propulsion) submarines that can reach Yemen underwater. On the surface, their range is double, and they are capable of operating in the area of Iran as well.
Another important layer that began to be operational with the Israel Navy is unmanned maritime vessels (UMV), also known as unmanned surface vessels (USV). The maritime divisions of Israel’s major defense companies have been developing and selling UMVs for a decade. Elbit Systems, for example, sold the Shahaf (Seagull) UMV to an Asia-Pacific country in 2021, and in 2022 that aircraft took part in the international Digital Horizon exercise in the Persian Gulf, close to Iran. In the course of the exercise, collaboration between seventeen UMV producers from around the world was tested, under the aegis of the US Fifth Fleet, which has its home base in Manama, capital of Bahrain.
Rafael produces the Protector, a USV designed to assist and protect forces. It carries a high-pressure water gun, and the Mini-Typhoon stabilized weapon system. It is intended for missions along shorelines and in ports. Another company that has been active in this field for several years is Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which, in 2014, unveiled the Katana, also meant for routine security operations, for example protection of offshore strategic assets such as drilling rigs and oil pipelines.
IAI is also very active in the field of unmanned submarines. Its outstanding product is the Blue Whale, the result of collaboration with German company Atlas Electronik. Blue Whale gathers intelligence by means of a telescopic mast (like a submarine’s periscope) on which are mounted radar and electro-optic systems for detecting targets at sea and on shore. Information is transmitted in real time via satellite communications antennae to command posts, that can be anywhere, at sea or on land.
Such developments have brought Israeli companies very worthwhile contracts. Just last week, Polish company Thesta announced that it had delivered satellite communications components to the Polish navy produced by Israeli company Orbit Communications Systems. Three months ago, Elbit Systems won several international contracts, some of them from NATO countries, worth an aggregate $330 million. These included the Seagull USV, TRAPS sonar systems, battle management systems, and electronic warfare and electro-optic systems. The contracts also include projects for upgrading and enhancing maritime platforms - offshore patrol vessels and frigates - as well as intelligence gathering, observation and patrol capabilities, and sonar systems for anti-submarine warfare.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on August 17, 2025.
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