The Egyptian Navy has accepted a new MEKO A-200-class frigate from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems as part of a four-ship contract signed in 2018.
The “Al-Qahhar” is the second frigate handed over under the MEKO fleet agreement. The first vessel, “Al-Aziz,” was delivered in October 2022.
The first three vessels will be manufactured by ThyssenKrupp in Germany, with the last constructed locally.
The Al-Qahhar’s keel was laid in 2020, followed by its launch in 2021. After the turnover, the vessel will travel for a few days to Egypt and be homeported in Alexandria.
“With today’s handover ceremony, we add a further highlight to the excellent relationship between the Egyptian Navy and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems,” ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems CFO Paul Glaser said.
“The ongoing cooperation on naval surface vessels and submarines is one of the cornerstones of the long-term partnership between our two countries.”
“The first-of-class ship ‘AL-AZIZ’ is already in service and has since proven its technical capabilities and reliability, and its sister ship ‘AL-QAHHAR’ will be just as successful.”
The Egyptian Navy’s third A-200 frigate, the “Al-Qadeer,” is expected to be delivered later this year.
The MEKO A-200 Fleet
Egypt’s future MEKO A-200-class fleet is built with a length of 121 meters in length (397 feet).
Each frigate is powered by three turbines and two diesel engines, giving them a maximum speed of 28 knots (52 kilometers/33 miles per hour).
A vessel can carry unmanned aerial vehicles and two helicopters weighing 10 tons (10,000 kilograms).
The fleet is armed with cannons, anti-ship missiles, machine guns, surface-to-air missiles, and decoy launchers.