The Saar 2 missile boats were the second generation of the Saar class fast atack missile boats. These boats had the same layout as Saar 1 and Saar 3 boats.
INS Haifa , INS Eilat and INS Aco were build in a Franch shipyard during the late 60's. These boats had fire control system designed for the anti-ship Gabriel Missiles.
INS Miznak,
INS Misgav and
INS Mivtach Saar 1 class boats were modified to the Saar 2 standard. Saar 2 boats had also Israeli made anti-missiles decoy launchers and electronic warfare systems.
While INS Haifa , INS Eilat and INS Aco had one bow 40mm gun and two Gabriel missiles launchers which carried 3 missiles each, the INS Miznak,
INS Misgav and
INS Mivtach had two 40mm (bow and stern) guns and only one Gabriel missiles launcher which carried 3 Gabriel missiles. All six Saar 2 boats had additional two Gabriel missiles that were placed between the bow 40 mm gun and the bridge, one on each side of the boat.
In late 70's while the INS Haifa , INS Eilat and INS Aco had two rear Gabriel missiles launchers with 3 Gabriel missiles each, the INS Miznak,
INS Misgav and
INS Mivtach had only one Gabriel missiles launcher and 40mm gun at the rear (stern). In the late 70's this system been replaced by two or four Harpoon missiles, Mark 44 torpedoes and (later Mark 46 torpedoes) and a VDS sonar array.
Saar 2 boats were the first Israeli missile boats that were built with Israeli made Gabriel missiles. During the Yom Kippur War (1973), when Saar 2, Saar 3 and Saar 4 used these missiles against Egyptian and Syrian ships with success, Gabriel became the first battle proven Weatern "anti-ship" missile.
Saar 2 boats participated in Lebanon War (1982). These boats protected Israeli sea borders from the late 60's when they arrived and entered service, till 90's
when most of them were decommissioned.
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