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Naval
Industry News - France, Egypt |
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France
Proposing Four More Vessels (2 Corvettes 1 OPV & 1 Patrol Vessel)
to the Egyptian Navy |
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According
to well connected French financial newspaper La
Tribune, France is proposing four more vessels to the Egyptian
Navy: Two more Gowind class corvettes, one OPV and another patrol vessel. |
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 The Egyptian Navy future GOWIND class corvette. They will be fitted with 8x Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles, 16x VL MICA surface to air missiles (both by MBDA), Torpedoes, a 76mm main gun (Oto Melara) and 2x 20mm remote weapon stations. Image: DCNS |
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If
the proposal is accepted, the Egyptian Navy would have 11 french-built
vessels in its fleet. Over the last year DCNS has established strategic relations with Egypt in the frame of the modernisation of the country’s surface fleet. France and DCNS sold a FREMM multi-mission frigate in February 2015 and four Gowind 2500 corvettes in July 2014. More recently, it was announced that DCNS would deliver the two fromer Russia bound Mistral class LHDs to Egypt. The two extra corvettes being propose would joint the existing four on order. According to DCNS, the Gowind 2500 is a reference product on the worldwide corvette market. This vessel responds to the needs of navies to have access to a complete and multi-mission combat vessel for sovereignty and maritime protection operations and the fight against illicit trafficking. Ten corvettes have already been ordered: Malaysia (6 units) and Egypt (4 units). |
Our
video interview with the L'Adroit OPV Commanding Officer in 2013
in the UAE. |
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According
to La Tribune, the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) being proposed
to the Egyptian Navy is the DCNS-built L'Adroit. OPV Gowind L’Adroit
was built under a self-funded DCNS programme in conjunction with equipment
manufacturers contributing high-performance products. OPV Gowind L’Adroit
is currently leased to the French Navy so that it can evaluate the ship
and its systems. Some of the companies involved in the program includes: - Schiebel Elektronische Geraete GmbH who equips l’Adroit with the CAMCOPTER® - TERMA A/S who provides the naval surveillance radar systems - Sagem provides the EOMS NG multifunction optronic equipment to ensure the ship’s close self-defense within a single system, and SIGMA 40D ring-laser-gyro inertial system for the ship’s navigation and combat system. - LINKSrechts provides an helicopter Visual Landing aid system - LACROIX Defence & Security provides the decoy system - The Thales systems installed on board the OPV ensure intelligence-gathering functions (Altesse and Vigile LW) and operational communications (over HF, UHF and satellite). - FLIR supplies a gyrostabilised platform FLIR TALON to detect targets night and day. - Zodiac MILPRO provides two Hurricane Ribs |
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 PIRIOU OPV50 offshore patrol vessel ordered by the Gabonese Navy. |
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The
fourth vessel would be built by French shipyard Piriou. It would likely
come from the Kership range. Kership is held jointly by Piriou (55%) and
DCNS (45%). The patrol vessel could be an OPV50. This type was ordered by the Gabonese Navy during Euronaval 2014 and is the first export success for the newly created joint company Kership. Offshore patrol vessel OPV50 is a versatile 58-metre ship developed by KERSHIP to undertake various missions related to State Action at Sea. OPV50's major innovations and features include very versatile design that facilitates reorganization to suit the mission; large bridge with 360° view; rapid deployment/retrieval ramp for 2 launches (7 m RHIBs); range of 5,000 nautical miles and excellent sea-keeping qualities. But Piriou and Kership offer many more patrol vessel designs, some of which you may see at this link. It is not clear yet which design is actually being proposed to the Egyptian Navy. |
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