IAI’s Gabriel V anti-ship missile has entered Finnish Navy service, with the firing from Hamina-class fast attack craft as the replacement of RBS-15SF-3.
The winner of Finland’s tender to replace the aged RBS-15SF-3 anti-ship missiles, Gabriel V, developed by IAI, has been fired from the Hamina-class fast attack craft (FAC) to show operational status. The Finnish Navy announced the firing of its new anti-ship missile.
In addition to Hamina-class FACs, the missile will also be used on the older Rauma-class FACs.
In addition to ageing, the RBS-15SF-3 missile lacks the range that modern anti-ship missiles possess. Whereas RBS-15SF-3 has a range of 100 km, most anti-ship missiles can hit well beyond 200 km, and Gabriel V is one of them.
The other standpoint for replacing RBS-15SF-3 is the secondary land attack capability, which is something common for modern anti-ship missiles as well. FACs with high speed and small profile have considerable potential to attack land targets in rather enclosed maritime zones like the Baltic Sea.
Gabriel V
Gabriel V is the latest in the Gabriel line of anti-ship missiles. The missile, powered by a turbojet engine and adopting an asymmetrical fin layout, has a range between 200 km and 400 km, depending on flight profile.
Being slightly larger than an average modern anti-ship missile, Gabriel V weighs 1250 kg and is 5.5 meters long.
Gabriel V can follow different flight profiles, including all the way sea skimming. GPS, INS, datalink, and active radar seeker provide the guidance.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
