DCNS starts construction on first Egyptian Gowind corvette

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DCNS starts construction on first Egyptian Gowind corvette
by defenceWeb, Friday, 17 April 2015

French shipyard DCNS has started cutting metal for the first of four Gowind 2500 corvettes for the Egyptian Navy. Deliveries are scheduled to take place between 2017 and 2019, less than four years after the contract was signed in July 2014.

DCNS said the first metal was cut on April 15 in the presence of representatives of the Egyptian Navy. The first Egyptian Gowind 2500 will be built on the DCNS site in Lorient. The following three units will be built in Alexandria within the frame of a construction technology transfer agreement.

“This industrial milestone is the concrete output of preliminary work to adapt the vessel to the specific needs of the Egyptian Navy, conducted over the last nine months by the DCNS teams. Today, we have started the construction of the very first GOWIND 2500 corvette, the reference product on the corvette market. We are proud to produce this latest-generation vessel for the Egyptian Navy,” said Bruno Chapeland, director of the Egypt Gowind programme at DCNS.

DCNS is simultaneously building five FREMM frigates for the French Navy and the Gowind corvette for the Egyptian Navy. DCNS teams are also preparing the delivery of the FREMM frigate Normandie, to Egypt, which bought the vessel in February this year. Due to the urgency of the sale, it will be transferred from the French Navy to Egypt.

DCNS previously received a contract from the Royal Malaysian Navy, which covers the design and construction of six corvettes in Malaysia at the Boustead Naval Shipyard through technology transfer.
The Gowind 2500 has a total length of 102 metres, a width of 16 metres, displacement of 2600 tonnes and a maximum speed of 25 knots. Range at 15 knots is 3700 nautical miles. Including a helicopter detachment, crew is 65 persons.

The Gowind design selected by Egypt is fitted with DCNS’ SETIS combat management system. The vessels could be equipped with VL-MICA surface-to-air missiles and Exocet MM40 surface-to-surface missiles. The vssels can each carry one medium helicopter (such as the Eurocopter EC 725 Cougar) and will be fitted with a 57 mm gun and torpedo launchers.

Innovations and capabilities of special interest to ship-based naval, commando and coast guard forces include a panoramic bridge offering 360° visibility, a single enclosed mast offering 360° sensor visibility, covert deployment of fast commando boats in less than five minutes and full provision for unmanned aerial and surface vehicles (UAVs and USVs).

Egypt has over 2 000 km of coastline in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea to protect, and also needs to enforce a blockade of the Gaza strip. As a result it has been expanding its navy in recent years.

DCNS starts construction on first Egyptian Gowind corvette | defenceWeb

 

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DCNS starts the construction of the first GOWIND® 2500 corvette for the Egyptian Navy
04.16.2015 •
DCNS has today started cutting metal for the very first GOWIND® 2500 corvette under construction in Lorient, in the presence of high representatives of the Egyptian Navy. This vessel is the first of a series of four units that will be delivered to Egypt before 2019.

The cutting of the first metal sheets for the first GOWIND® 2500 corvette built in Lorient symbolises the launch of the ambitious industrial program conducted by DCNS for the Egyptian Navy. It includes the construction of four latest-generation corvettes, both in France and Egypt. The delivery of the first vessel is slated for 2017, i.e., less than four years after the signature of the contract last summer.

A new international success for DCNS
In the frame of an international call for tender, DCNS was able to offer the best product at the most attractive cost. The Group was able to comply with the very tight deadlines to adapt the product to the specific needs of this client for the construction of the vessels in France and in Egypt via technology transfer.

With this contract, DCNS has scored another success for the GOWIND® 2500. The Group had already won a first contract for the Royal Malaysian Navy, which covers the design and construction of six corvettes in Malaysia at the Boustead Naval Shipyard through technology transfer.

The first Egyptian GOWIND® 2500 corvette will be built on the DCNS site in Lorient, one of the most modern naval shipyards in Europe. The three following units will be built in Alexandria within the frame of a construction technology transfer agreement. “This industrial milestone is the concrete output of preliminary work to adapt the vessel to the specific needs of the Egyptian Navy, conducted over the last nine months by the DCNS teams. Today, we have started the construction of the very first GOWIND® 2500 corvette, the reference product on the corvette market. We are proud to produce this latest-generation vessel for the Egyptian Navy, declares Bruno Chapeland, director of the Egypt GOWIND® program at DCNS.

A long-term partnership
Over the last year DCNS has established strategic relations with Egypt in the frame of the modernisation of the country’s surface fleet. The sale of a FREMM multi-mission frigate in February 2015 and four GOWIND® 2500 corvettes in July 2014 are a demonstration of the trust placed in the Group. DCNS is pursuing a long-term partnership with the Egyptian Navy and Egyptian industry.

DCNS will provide them with its knowledge for the construction of three high-technology corvettes and the through-life support for an equally modern FREMM frigate. DCNS thus demonstrates the attractiveness of its corvettes and frigates as well as its experience in technology transfer.

Efficient industrial infrastructures
The start of production of the future Egyptian GOWIND® 2500 corvette underlines DCNS’s industrial capacity to manage and realise major programs in France. The DCNS site in Lorient is specialised in the design and construction of surface vessels of 1,000 to 8,000 tonnes. Currently, DCNS is simultaneously building there five FREMM frigates for the French Navy and the GOWIND® corvette for the Egyptian Navy. The DCNS teams are also preparing the delivery of the currently so-called FREMM Normandie, for Egypt.

Technical characteristics of the GOWIND® 2500
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 by our international partners: Malaysia (6 units) and Egypt (4 units).

The GOWIND® 2500 is bristling with the very latest technological advances, developed and implemented by DCNS for naval defence. It incorporates the SETIS combat system, developed by DCNS for FREMM frigates and GOWIND® corvettes, the “Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Module (PSIM)” – an assembly bringing together the integrated mast with its various instruments as well as the Operational Centre and its associated technical rooms – and the high degree of integration, automation and conviviality of the DCNS systems.

• Total length: 102 metres
• Width: 16 metres
• Displacement: 2,600 tonnes
• Max. speed: 25 knots
• Crew: 65 persons (helicopter detachment included)
• Range: 3,700 nautical miles at 15 knots

DCNS starts the construction of the first GOWIND® 2500 corvette for the Egyptian Navy | DCNS Group

 

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GOWIND® 2500