Cyprus signs agreement to acquire second OPV from Israel Shipyards

Cyprus and Israel signed an agreement on October 26, 2026, for a second offshore patrol vessel built by Israel Shipyards and equipped with Rafael naval systems. The package also provides for upgrades to systems aboard Cyprus's existing Israel Shipyards-built patrol vessel, Commodore Andreas Ioannides. Coordinated by Israel's SIBAT directorate and Cyprus's armaments directorate, the acquisition will support expanded patrol, maritime surveillance and search-and-rescue operations. The governments have not specified the new ship's detailed configuration, the Rafael equipment selected, the upgrade scope for Ioannides or a delivery schedule, so existing-vessel specifications cannot be assumed for the second ship.