Alexandria Shipyard has launched the second Gowind 2500 multi-mission corvette of the Egyptian Navy, ENS Port Said (976), during a ceremony at its facility in Alexandria, Egypt on Sept. 6, 2018.
Alexandria Shipyard started cutting metal for the second Gowind corvette in April 2016. The corvette is built in cooperation with French shipbuilder, Naval Group and is the first corvette to be built locally in Egypt.
Port Said is the fifth ship designed by Naval Group and operated by the Egyptian Navy, after the FREMM frigate ENS Tahya Misr (1001) in 2015, the two Mistral-class Landing Helicopter Docks (LHD) ENS Gamal Abdel Nasser (L1010) and ENS Anwar El Sadat (L1020) in 2016 and the first Gowind corvette, ENS El Fateh (971), in 2017.
Egypt has signed the €1bn contract with DCNS (now Naval Group) to buy four Gowind 2,500-ton corvettes with an option for two more. Three of the corvettes are to be built locally by the Alexandria Shipyard with a technology transfer agreement.
In September 2016, Naval Group launched the first Egyptian Gowind corvette ENS El Fateh (971) at the Lorient naval shipyard in France.
The Egyptian Navy took delivery of the vessel in September 2017, 3 years after the order was placed.
Gowind 2500 corvette
The Gowind design is a family of steel monohull corvettes developed since 2006 by DCNS to conduct missions in littoral zone such as anti-submarine warfare (ASW). The Gowind family includes vessels with lengths from 85 m to 102 m and displacement from 1,000 t to 2,500 t.
The corvette’s primary weapon is an OTO Melara 76 mm main gun. It is also equipped with two Nexter Narwhal 20 mm cannons.
Gowind 2500 is also armed with 16 VL MICA surface-to-air missiles in VLS launcher, eight MBDA MM40 Exocet anti-ship missile launchers and two triple torpedo launchers.
The Gowind design can deploy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) and Underwater Unmanned Vehicles (UUVs). An aft deck has been provided allowing for a 10-ton class helicopter or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operations.
The multi-mission corvette is designed for surveillance, surface and subsurface combat, protection and escort naval missions. It can also perform presence, maritime surveillance and policing missions against trafficking and piracy.
A Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Module (PSIM) combines the SETIS CMS with above-water prime sensors (SMART-S Mk 2 and Vigile 200 Mk 3 ESM). The PSIMs for the three ASY-built ships are all to be built, commissioned, and tested at Lorient prior to being transported to Alexandria.
According to Le Tribune, a French national newspaper, Egypt is negotiating with Germany for obtaining 2 units of MEKO A200 frigate as an alternative to the additional Naval Group Gowind corvettes for 1 billion Euros.