Cyprus and Israel signed an agreement on October 26 covering the acquisition of a new offshore patrol vessel and upgrades to the systems aboard Cyprus’s existing Israel Shipyards-built vessel, according to Naval News’ report on the signing.
The new vessel will be built by Israel Shipyards and fitted with a range of Rafael naval systems. The agreement was signed by Israel’s Ministry of Defense and Cyprus’s Ministry of Defence, with the two governments saying the ships will support expanded patrol, surveillance and search-and-rescue missions.
The specific Rafael systems were not identified. Breaking Defense reports that the agreement also covers an upgrade to the 62-meter patrol vessel Commodore Andreas Ioannides, which Israel delivered to Cyprus in 2018, but says the official statement did not specify the upgrade package. Speculation about possible systems, including Rafael’s Spike NLOS missile, was not confirmed by the governments or the company. Breaking Defense’s account also says the announcement provided no dollar value or delivery date.
That leaves the documented procurement scope clearer than its execution schedule: Cyprus is to receive one additional OPV while its existing vessel undergoes a systems upgrade, but neither source establishes when the new ship will be delivered or when the upgraded vessel will return to service. Breaking Defense reported that Cypriot media had estimated the deal at €150 million, but that figure was not included in the official announcement and should not be treated as a disclosed contract value.