NEWTOWN, Conn. - 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.
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 three following units will be built in Alexandria within the frame of a construction technology transfer agreement.
The Egyptian Navy ordered four Gowind corvettes from France's DCNS in June 2014, becoming the second export customer for the type after Malaysia. The EUR1 billion ($1.36 billion) contract covers two orders plus two options. One will be built in France and the other three in Egypt.
DCNS beat out competition from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (MEKO A200) and the Damen Schelde group (Sigma). The Gowind vessels are 100 meters long and displace 2,400 tons. They can each carry one medium helicopter (such as the Airbus Helicopters EC 725 Cougar) and will be fitted with a 57mm gun, VL-MICA surface-to-air missiles, Exocet anti-ship missiles, and torpedo launchers. Because the contract excludes weapons, it is estimated that the missiles could add another $300-$400 million to the price tag.
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