Israeli Navy conducts operational test launch of new surface-to-surface missile
The Israeli Navy, in collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Defence's Directorate of Research and Development (DDR&D) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), has completed a successful operational test launch of the IAI-developed Gabriel 5 surface-to-surface missile.
The test also included the launch of a missile from an Israeli Navy vessel towards a target simulating a hostile ship. The target detection and firing processes were successfully conducted as what would have been done under real-world operating conditions.
The Gabriel 5 is being developed to be capable of striking sea and land targets from over 200 kilometres away under a broad range of weather conditions.
The missile is fitted with an active radar seeker and a penetrating warhead is also highly resistant to jamming. Navigation is via GPS or INS and multiple waypoints can be set to avoid detection.
The Gabriel 5 measures 5.5 metres long and weighs 1,250 kg. Although the missile is limited to subsonic flight, it has a wide search coverage and can be employed against a variety of targets and threats.