Egypt launches its third Gowind 2500 corvette in Alexandria

The Egyptian Navy’s third Gowind 2500 corvette Al-Moez (981) was launched in a ceremony at the Alexandria shipyard on May 12.

In addition to being the third unit in the class, Al-Moez is the second of a total of four ships to be built locally by Egypt.

The first unit, ENS El Fateh, was delivered to Egypt in 2017 by Naval Group, the French state-owned shipbuilder who is helping Egypt build the remaining three units in the class under a transfer of technology agreement.

Egypt’s 102-meter corvettes are equipped with the SETIS combat system and the Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Module (PSIM) in addition to a 76mm Oto Melara gun, vertical launch cells for MBDA’s MICA missile and torpedo launchers.

Displacing 2,600 tonnes, the ships are crewed by 80 persons (including the helicopter detachment) and reach a speed of 25 knots.

#المتحدث_العسكرى : الفريق محمد فريد يشهد مراسم تدشين الفرقاطة المصرية الثانية “المعز” pic.twitter.com/AyVXZIFXC7

— المتحدث العسكري (@EgyArmySpox) May 12, 2019

The launch of Al-Moez is the result of a long-standing cooperation between Naval Group and Egypt. In addition to corvettes, the shipbuilder delivered the FREMM multi mission frigate Tahya Misr in August 2015 and two Mistral-class landing helicopter dock vessels to the Egyptian Navy in June 2016.

Naval Group has also established an Egyptian subsidiary called Alexandria Naval with the aim of providing in-service support for the delivered vessels.