From the armament configuration all I see is a Sa’ar V vol.2

Isn’t that what such a ship would be for IDF. What do they need big ships for anyway? Besides, that’s the systems they produce at home 😀

But seriously, that’s not true as the Saar 5 (originally) had much heavier SSM and SAM loadouts and ASW. And little by way of support facilities for anything but classic naval operations. An LCS2 would bring off-shore basing facilities for UAVs and remotely operated boats, as well as better spec-ops facilities (e.g. 2 Apaches in hangar, plus a CH53 on deck, plus a couple of rapid insertion boats). So it is in the ‘what else can it do’ that the difference with Saar5 become apparent.

What would you put on the IDF version of LCS 2?

At first glance I also thought the same, but the project manager said they were Mk48.

I enlarged the model image and they may be Mk 48. Like on KD-1 Okpo, but grouped together differently (per group: 4 missiles facing together, 4 exhausts left and 4 right of those missiles. 4 such groups forward of the bridge). Wonder if a Mk41 tactital module would not offer advantages over this Mk48 set up.

In hypothetical Israeli service ….

Weapons:
1x 76mm oto (stealth mount), interchangeable with NavLAR (2×18 35-45km LAR 160 rockets)
4×8 12km VL Barak (possibly 50km Barak II/NG), interchangeable with 4 Harpoon plus 3 Gabriel
1x Typhoon DSA (Decoys and Surface to Air Missiles Launchers) – hangar
2x MiniTyphoon SSM (12,7mm, 2 Spike-LR, EO-fcs)
2x Typhoon G (25mm cannon, 2x Spike ER, Toplite)
2 Protector Unmanned Naval Patrol Vehicle with MiniTyphoon SSM (12,7mm, 2 Spike-LR, EO-fcs)
2 ASW helo’s e.g. SA-565 Dauphin or 2 Attack helo’s e.g. AH-64 Longbow Apache, or a mix.
UAVs e.g. Aeronautics Tail-Sitter

Main radar: IAI/Elbit EL/M-2248 MFStar (can control Barak as this is CLOS, not SARH. Can provide midcourse update for Barak II/NG, which is ARH)
Supported by: EL/L 8273/4 – IRST – Infra Red Search and Track System
http://www.defense-update.com/directory/mf-star.htm

This is not a complete fit (lacks e.g. ASW torpedoes, sonar etc, lacks EW/ECM fit, torpedo decoys) but indicative.

According to mission systems, there are two versions: “Missile corvette” and “multi-role corvette”.

Missile corvette has 76mm/62 Oto Melara Super Rapid gun, 2 x 4 SSM, 8 x Mk48 VLS + ESSM, 2 x 30mm Oto Melara remote controlled turret each having 6 Igla SAM’s, 1 x 30mm Goalkeper CIWS, 533mm TT.

Multi-role corvette has 76mm/62 Oto Melara Super Rapid gun, 2×4 SSM, 2 x 8 VL-Mica, 2 x Oto Melara 30mm remote controlled turret, 533mm TT.

Looks to me like the missile corvette has 4 single Mk41 cells forward of the bridge, which would imply another 2 are on each side of the Goalkeeper, making for a total of 8 cells and a loadout of 32 ESSM.

Barak-8 /MR-SAM Program
http://www.defense-update.com/products/b/barak8.htm

March 3008:
“The government has put in cold storage a massive joint venture for a new generation Barak missiles for Indian Air Force. The move comes amidst the CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] going full steam investigating the original Barak deal of 2000 for the Indian Navy. “
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1155777

“Despite the scandal, the Government had approved a Rs 10,000-crore programme last year for the joint development of the Barak-NG missile with Israel. The 70-km range missile for the navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF) is likely to enter service by 2012 and will equip IAF and future warships of the navy. While the bribery case has clearly not impacted the Barak-NG missile, fresh supplies of the Barak hinge on the outcome of the case.”
http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?Itemid=1&id=5734&option=com_content&task=view&issueid=36&sectionid=36

Although the P17s will have a good weapon complement of around 30+ Shtil, 16 Barak-1, 8 3M-14E missiles, A244S torops, RBU-6000, and 76mm SRGM and two Kashtans. The fact that a ship coming out in 2009 with an arm launched SAM is a bit disappointing.
I guess, the AD layers of the P17s will be 0-5km covered by Kashtans, 5-15km covered by Barak, 15-30km covered by Shtils.

The ship will also have six illuminators as opposed to the four, previously believed. What I am not sure about is if these six illuminators is a four Orech plus two STGR configuration or six Orechs plus two STGRs.

Having the ability to carry two 10-ton ASW helos also makes this ship hit above her weight class. IMO, this ship class is a mixed bag. It has good capability but the age of some of its systems is worrisome. Particularly the Fregat, RAWL-04, Orech and Shtil. One would have thought that a ship that will be joining the fleet in 2009 will have some more contemporary systems.

Illuminators: Most likely 4 Orekh and 2 STGR.
a) 6 Orekh with a single single rail launcher doesn’t make sense
b) Orekh can’t guide Barak

Follow on batches will likely see more modern – probalbly israeli – sensor and MR-missile systems

Mig-29 and 35 have 3-4 hardpoints per wing and a centreline ventral hardpoint i.e. a maximum of 9 hardpoints. Double weapons carriage on one pair of these hardpoints (e.g. using a rack for 2 SRAAM) would raise that to 11 (2 pairs > 13), which may explain some of the quotes to that extent out there. For example: “The two inboard pylons under each wing can be fitted with tandem bomb racks, which effectively increases the number of hardpoints to thirteen.” (from Bharat-Rakshak)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-29
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/fighter/mig29/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiG-35
http://www.migavia.ru/eng/military_e/MiG_35_e.htm