Sa'ar 4 boats' first battle engagements occurred in the October 1973 Yom Kippur War when two Sa'ar 4 boats, INS Reshef and INS Keshet, engaged Egyptian and Syrian ships and coastal targets. Israel had sold most of its Sa'ar 4 boats to other navies, but INS Nitzachon and INS Atzmaut remained in active Israeli Navy service until 2014.
Ten Sa'ar 4-class boats were built for the Israeli Navy. only two remain in service. Three were disassembled, with systems taken for use in the construction of vessels. Three vessels and one hull stripped of systems were sold to Chile. Two vessels were sold to Sri Lanka.
| Vessel name | Meaning | History | Fate | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INS Reshef | Spark | Launched in 1973. Commissioned in February 1973. | Sold to Chile in 1997 as LM-34 Angamos. | Active (Chile) | |
| INS Keshet | Bow | Launched in 1973. Commissioned on August 23, 1973. | Sold to Chile in 1980 as LM-31 Chipana. | Active (Chile) | |
| INS Romach | Lance | Launched in 1974. | Sold to Chile in 1979 as LM-30 Casma. | Active (Chile) | |
| INS Kidon | Javelin | Launched in 1974. | Disassembled. Various systems reassembled atop hull in 1994. The old hull sunk as an underwater memorial. | Retired | |
| INS Tarshish | Tarshish | Launched in 1975. | Disassembled. Some systems reassembled atop hull in 1995. The old hull sold to Chile in 1997 as LM-35 Papudo. | In 1998 cannibalized for spares Chilean Navy | |
| INS Yaffo | Jaffa | Launched in 1975. | Disassembled. Various systems reassembled atop new hull in 1998. | Retired | |
| INS Nitzachon | Victory | Launched on 10 July 1978. Commissioned in September 1978. | Redirected to anti-submarine warfare. Retired 15 January 2014 | Retired | |
| INS Atzmaut | Independence | Launched on 3 December 1978. Commissioned in February 1979. | Redirected to anti-submarine warfare. Retired 5 March 2014 | Sunk in July 2016, by 2 Harpoon (missile)s - launched by INS Hetz and INS Herev, in missile test conducted by the 3rd Flotilla.[1] | |
| INS Moledet | Homeland | Launched in 1979. | Redirected to anti-submarine warfare. Sold to Sri Lanka in 2000 as SLNS Suranimala. | Sold | |
| INS Komemiyut | Sovereignty | Launched in 1980. | Redirected to anti-submarine warfare. Sold to Sri Lanka in 2000 as SLNS Nandimitra. | Sold |
The (formerly designated Minister class) in service with the South African Navy are modified Sa'ar 4 (Reshef-class) fast attack craft.[2] In 1974, a contract was signed with Israeli Military Industries for the construction of three of the modified Reshef class vessels at the Haifa facility of Israeli Shipyards. A further three were built immediately after at the Sandock Austral shipyard in Durban, South Africa, with three more being built at the same facility several years later.[3] The imposition of the international embargo on the sale of arms to South Africa on 4 November 1977 forced the project to be carried out under a cloak of security.[3] The South African variants were fitted with Gabriel missiles, known in South Africa as 'Scorpion' missiles, and had two OTO Melara 76 mm guns instead of a single one with a Phalanx CIWS.
In 1979, the Chilean Navy purchased its first Sa'ar 4, followed by a second in 1980 and a final two boats in 1997.[4] [5] [6] [7] Papudo (ex INS Tarshish) was purchased with several missing systems and due to budgetary constraints was retired in 1998, only a year after entering service. All Sa'ar 4s in service with the Chilean Navy are armed with two OTO Melara 76 mm guns, eight Gabriel missile launchers and two Oerlikon 20 mm cannon with the exception of Angamos which was modernized in 2013 replacing four of the Gabriel missile launchers with four Exocet MM40 launchers.[8] Three Sa'ar 4s remain in service as of 2020.
In 2000, two of the Israeli boats were sold to the Sri Lankan Navy, forming the . It is not certain if these boats retain the Harpoon missile capability, however, these boats retained their Gabriel missile capability.[9]