Cyprus to acquire new offshore patrol vessel with ‘advanced’ naval systems from Israel

Israel Ministry of Defense Director General Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram, and his Cypriot counterpart, Stelios Kountouris, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Cyprus Ministry of Defence at the October 26 ceremony. ( Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus)

JERUSALEM — Israel today signed a deal with Cyprus to provide Nicosia with a new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) equipped with unspecified “advance naval systems” from Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

Israel’s Ministry of Defense said Oct. 26 in a statement that Israel “will supply Cyprus with a new patrol vessel built by Israel Shipyards and fitted with a range of Rafael naval systems. In parallel, the systems aboard Cyprus’s existing Israel Shipyards-built patrol vessel will be upgraded.”

Israel delivered a 62-meter offshore patrol vessel, dubbed the Commodore Andreas Ioannides , to Cyprus in 2018. The Ioannides will be upgraded per today’s deal.

The Israeli MoD statement added: “The new OPV, alongside the upgraded OPV IOANNIDES, will support expanded patrol, surveillance, and search-and-rescue missions. By strengthening their capabilities and deepening their partnership, the two countries reaffirm their commitment to regional stability.”

While the statement did not specify just what types of upgrades the Ioannides will be receiving through today’s deal, Cypriot media have speculated that systems could include a naval version of Rafael’s Spike missile system, the Spike NLOS.

Further, the Israeli navy’s Sa’ar 6 vessel is equipped with Rafael’s Typhoon gun, as well as the naval version of the Iron Dome air defense system, called C-Dome — other options that could be included in the upgrade for Cyprus.

The statement did not include a dollar amount for the deal, nor did it specify a delivery date for the new OPV. Breaking Defense asked the Ministry of Defense and Rafael for comment on the systems, dollar value and delivery date, though neither responded by press time.

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Today’s signing is not a total surprise , as Cyprus Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas told the Cyprus Mail on Friday that the country would be acquiring a second patrol vessel from Israel. An Oct. 20 report from that same publication estimated the value of the deal to be €150 million ($167.7 million).

The agreement is another important step in strengthening the capabilities of Cyprus’ Naval Command, the ministry said, adding that the vessel and upgrades will enhance “its capacity to respond to maritime security challenges.”

In addition to the OPVs, Cyprus operates several other Israeli defense systems. For instance, the Cypriot National Guard uses Rafael’s Spike LR2 anti-tank missile system. The country also uses Israel Aerospace Systems’ Barak MX air defense system.

Additionally, reports in 2022 indicated that Cyprus was looking to acquire Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system made by Rafael .

Israel has also begun deepening its ties with Greece. In August, Israel and Greece signed the multi-billion-dollar Achilles Shield deal to supply Greece with Israeli air defense systems. The two countries also conducted a joint naval drill in the eastern Mediterranean on Sunday

The developments come just days after a controversial deal between Libya and Turkey to delimit maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean, building off a yearslong dispute over territorial rights in the region. Israel, Greece and Cyprus were among the nations that opposed the deal.

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以色列国防部总干事（预备役）少将阿米尔·巴拉姆与塞浦路斯国防部代理常务秘书斯特利奥斯·昆图里斯于10月26日出席了仪式。（塞浦路斯共和国国防部）

耶路撒冷——以色列今天与塞浦路斯签署了一项协议，将向尼科西亚提供一艘新的近海巡逻舰（OPV），该舰配备了以色列拉斐尔先进防御系统公司提供的未指明的“先进海军系统”。

以色列国防部10月26日发表声明称，以色列“将向塞浦路斯提供一艘由以色列造船厂建造的新型巡逻舰，该舰将配备一系列拉斐尔海军系统。与此同时，塞浦路斯现有的由以色列造船厂建造的巡逻舰上的系统也将进行升级。”

以色列于 2018 年向塞浦路斯交付了一艘 62 米长的近海巡逻舰，命名为“安德烈亚斯·伊奥尼德斯准将”号。根据今天的协议，“伊奥尼德斯”号将进行升级改造。

以色列国防部声明补充道：“这艘新型近海巡逻舰将与升级后的‘伊奥安尼德斯’号近海巡逻舰一起，支持扩大巡逻、监视和搜救任务。通过加强能力和深化伙伴关系，两国重申了对地区稳定的承诺。”

虽然声明没有具体说明“伊奥尼德斯”号将通过今天的交易获得哪些类型的升级，但塞浦路斯媒体猜测，这些系统可能包括拉斐尔公司“长钉”导弹系统的海军版本——“长钉”NLOS导弹。

此外，以色列海军的萨尔6型舰艇配备了拉斐尔公司的台风炮，以及海军版的铁穹防空系统，称为C-Dome——这些也是塞浦路斯升级方案中可能包含的其他选项。

声明中并未提及交易金额，也未具体说明新型近海巡逻舰的交付日期。Breaking Defense就此系统、交易金额和交付日期向英国国防部和拉斐尔公司征求意见，但截至发稿时，双方均未作出回应。

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随着威胁不断演变，速度将越来越取决于在需要出现时已有的资源。

今天的签约并不完全出乎意料，因为塞浦路斯国防部长瓦西里斯·帕尔马斯周五告诉《塞浦路斯邮报》，该国将从以色列购买第二艘巡逻舰。该报10月20日的一篇报道估计，这笔交易价值1.5亿欧元（1.677亿美元）。

该部表示，该协议是加强塞浦路斯海军司令部能力的又一重要步骤，并补充说，这艘舰艇和升级改造将增强“其应对海上安全挑战的能力”。

除了近海巡逻舰外，塞浦路斯还装备有其他几种以色列国防系统。例如，塞浦路斯国民警卫队使用拉斐尔公司的“长钉”LR2反坦克导弹系统。该国还使用以色列航空航天系统公司的“巴拉克”MX防空系统。

此外，2022 年的报道显示，塞浦路斯正在寻求购买以色列拉斐尔公司生产的“铁穹”防空系统。

以色列也开始深化与希腊的关系。今年8月，以色列和希腊签署了价值数十亿美元的“阿喀琉斯之盾”协议，以色列将向希腊提供防空系统。两国还在周日于东地中海举行了联合海军演习。

就在利比亚和土耳其达成一项备受争议的协议，划定东地中海海域边界的几天后，事态又有了新的进展。该协议源于两国在该地区长达数年的领土争端。以色列、希腊和塞浦路斯等国都反对这项协议。

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