Cyprus is expanding its naval surveillance capabilities through an agreement with Israel for a second offshore patrol vessel intended to protect maritime interests in the eastern Mediterranean. Israel Shipyards will build the 62-metre-long ship, while Rafael Advanced Defense Systems will integrate the vessel’s naval systems. The platform is expected to support exclusive economic zone security, surveillance of strategically important waterways and responses to maritime security threats. The contract’s official value has not been disclosed. However, local Cypriot media have reported an estimated package worth approximately €150 million ($166.7 million). Detailed information about the new vessel’s specifications, sensors and weapons remains unavailable in the supplied report. The agreement also includes a modernisation effort for the Commodore Andreas Ioannides (P61), an Israeli-built offshore patrol vessel delivered to the Cypriot Naval Command in 2018. Its existing armament includes Rafael Typhoon remote-controlled weapon stations, which can accommodate either 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine guns or a 40mm grenade launcher, depending on the configuration. The reported firing rate exceeds 300 rounds per minute. By pairing a new ship acquisition with combat-system upgrades for an existing vessel, the agreement is intended to strengthen Cyprus’s coastal surveillance, maritime security and naval response capabilities.
