The IDF has announced that, last night, for the first time, missile ships of the Israel Navy shot down UAVs launched at Israel by Iran using the Barak Magen air defense system and the LRAD interceptor. Eight aircraft were shot down.
The interceptions were carried out by Sa’ar 6 class ships originally designed to protect Israel’s offshore gas production platforms. The ships are equipped with advanced radar and various sophisticated protection systems. In December 2023, the process of commissioning the fourth and last of the Sa’ar 6 class ships was completed.
At that time, Israel let it be known to the pro-Iranian militias, Iran, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, that the Shayetet 3 squadron consisting of these vessels was deployed in the Red Sea to protect against enemy action from the east and south. The four Sa’ar 6 class ships, built for Israel by German firm ThyssenKrupp, cost some €450 million altogether. Their offensive capabilities were seen last week when, in contrast to the past, a strike against the Houthis was carried out not by the Israel Air Force but by the Israel Navy.
Barak Magen is the name given to the Barak MX air defense system produced by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and installed on the Sa’ar 6 ships. The Barak MX system has been sold to several customers, among them Azerbaijan, in contracts worth some $1.2 billion. The system supports various radars and launchers for cover against combat aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, and ground=to-air and ground-to-ground missiles.
The system is based on a smart, operationally-proven control center that integrates other missiles and interceptors: the Barak MRAD short-range interceptor is launched vertically at high speed, and is adapted to deal with threats at a range of up to 35 kilometers. It has a radar-based homing system and a single pulse motor. The long-range Barak LRAD interceptor, which has a dual-pulse motor, is designed to counter threats at a range of up to 70 kilometers. The Barak ER interceptor has a dual-pulse motor plus a rocket booster, and is effective at a range of up to 150 kilometers. The motors for these interceptors are produced by state-owned company Tomer.
The version in use by Israel’s air defense array is the Barak LRAD, which successfully underwent trials last August.
Since the beginning of the operation against Iran, the Israel Navy’s missile ship fleet has shot down 25 UAVs, but most of the interceptions were by means of the C-Dome system, the maritime version of the now veteran Iron Dome short-range air defense system produced by Rafael.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on June 16, 2025.
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