The Egyptian ENS El Fateh in August, 2022 | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Gowind class |
Builders | Naval Group Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Alexandria Shipyard |
Operators |
|
Subclasses | Kership |
Cost | |
In commission | 22 September 2017 – present |
Planned | 20 |
Building | 7 |
Completed | 8 |
Cancelled | 5 (1 Royal Malaysian Navy, 4 Romanian Navy) [7] [8] |
Active | 8 (2 Egyptian Navy, 4 Argentine Navy, 2 UAE Navy) |
General characteristics | |
Type | Frigate, Corvette, Offshore patrol vessel [9] |
Displacement | 1,000 tons - 3,100 tons |
Length | 85 m (278 ft 10 in) - 111 m (364 ft 2 in) |
Propulsion | CODAD |
Speed | 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
Range | 3,700 nmi (6,900 km; 4,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Endurance | 21 days |
Complement | 65 + 15 Special forces |
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried |
|
Aviation facilities |
|
The Gowind design is a family of steel monohull frigates, corvettes and offshore patrol vessels developed since 2006 by France's Naval Group, formerly known as DCNS, to conduct missions in the littoral zone such as anti-submarine warfare (ASW). The Gowind family includes vessels with lengths from 85 to 111 metres (278 ft 10 in to 364 ft 2 in) and displacement from 1,000 tons to 3,100 tons. [13]
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 UAV operations.
The platform's weapon system consists of a multi-functional radar and VL MICA surface-to-air missiles (SAM). It is armed with Exocet anti-ship missiles. The propulsion system is based on Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD) and includes water-jets for improved maneuverability in shallow waters and high-speed performance. There is no funnel on these ships. The radar and other sensors are mounted on a single central mast thus allowing 360-degree view. Naval Group offers two variants of the design: Gowind 1000 and Gowind 2500 while Malaysia with the assistance of Naval Group locally developed the Gowind 3100.
As of October 2021, the Greek government is in discussions with Naval Group about the acquisition of up to seven Gowind corvettes with three of them being built in Greece.
The Gowind class originally consisted of offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) but after a rearrangement of products Naval Group decided to remove the OPV from the Gowind class and develop the OPVs as a class of their own with L'Adroit top of the range. To do so it formed the Kership joint venture with the Piriou shipyard in Concarneau, Brittany in May 2013 to build and market lightly armed and armoured OPVs for customs, fishing and other home security missions. Naval Group said this would enable it to concentrate on "developing relations" with clients seeking heavily armed and armoured warships while Kership handles the more civilian-standard OPVs. [14]
The Gowind 1000 is a 1,000-ton corvette designed for protection, escort and embargo naval missions in a littoral environment. The Gowind 1000 can also perform presence, surveillance, intelligence and policing missions. It is armed with:
Sensors:
The Gowind 2500 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.
The Gowind 2500 capitalizes on Naval Group's expertise in vessel stealth. The vessel is equipped with facilities for an embarked helicopter and drones. It is armed with:
Electronic warfare & decoys for Egypt's Gowind 2500:
The Gowind 3100 is a frigate with the displacement of 3,100 tons and length of 111 metres (364 ft 2 in). [15] [16] It is armed with:
In 2014, Egypt signed a €1bn contract with Naval Group to buy four Gowind 2,500-ton corvettes with an option for two more. Separately, MBDA negotiated a contract to equip the ships with MICA vertical launch air-defense missiles and MM40 Block 3 Exocet anti-ship missiles, together worth an additional 400 million euros, while Naval Group negotiated a 100–200 million euro contract for torpedoes. [17] Three of the corvettes are to be built locally by Alexandria Shipyard within a technology transfer agreement. It was apparently President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi who decided these were the ships he wanted rather than the Meko A200 being offered by German group ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) or the Sigma corvette proposed by Damen of the Netherlands. [1] [14] [3] Egypt is in talks with France to acquire another two Gowind corvettes which, if ordered, would be produced by France in Lorient. [18] [19]
In April 2015, Naval Group started cutting metal for the very first Gowind 2500 corvette, with a planned construction period of 29 months. It is the first of a series of four units that will be delivered to Egypt before 2019. The corvette's first block was laid in the dry dock in September 2015. [20] Naval Group celebrated the launch of the first Egyptian Gowind corvette El Fateh at the Lorient naval shipyard in September 2016. El Fateh successfully concluded its first sea trials by the end of March 2017. [21] The Egyptian Navy took delivery of the vessel in September 2017, three years after the order was placed. [22]
Alexandria Shipyard started cutting metal for the second Gowind corvette intended for the Egyptian Navy in April 2016. It is the first corvette to be built locally in Egypt. Naval Group sent supervision and technical assistance teams, technical data and necessary components to Alexandria for assisting Egypt in the local construction of the three corvettes. The company also provided training for the Egyptian staff at its site in Lorient. [23] All the Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Modules (PSIM) were produced and tested in Lorient by Naval Group and later shipped to Alexandria for installation on the corvettes. The launching ceremony of the second Gowind corvette Port Said took place in September 2018 in Alexandria. [24] [25]
Construction work on the third vessel has already started. Its first block was laid in the dry dock by July 2018. [26]
Name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
El Fateh | 971 | 30 September 2015 [20] | 17 September 2016 [27] | 22 September 2017 [28] | Alexandria [29] |
Port Said | 976 | 16 April 2016 [23] | 7 September 2018 [25] | 11 Jan 2021 | |
El Moez | 981 | July 2018 [26] | 12 May 2019 | ||
Luxor | 986 | TBA | 14 May 2020 [30] |
Malaysia is locally designing and building six stealth frigates displacing 3,100 tons and length 111 meter based on the design of the Gowind corvette. [31] In 2023, it is confirmed that Malaysia will only build five instead of six ship after the sixth ship were cancelled. [7]
Name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maharaja Lela | 2501 | 8 March 2016 | 24 August 2017 | ||
Syarif Masahor | 2502 | 28 February 2017 | |||
Raja Mahadi | 2503 | 18 December 2017 | |||
Mat Salleh | 2504 | 31 October 2018 | |||
Tok Janggut | 2505 | TBA [32] | |||
Mat Kilau | 2506 | Cancelled [7] |
Argentina chose the OPV variant (Kership design). After repeated negotiations and break-offs. In February 2018 the Argentine Navy was instructed to restart negotiations with Naval Group for the procurement of four Gowind-class vessels. The decision was motivated by the meeting between Argentine President Mauricio Macri and French President Emmanuel Macron at the annual World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland. An order for four vessels was expected in July 2018. [33] In November 2018, Argentina confirmed the purchase of four Gowind-class vessels. The purchase includes the already-built L'Adroit, which in 2016 visited the region on a marketing trip and three new vessels. [34]
Name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bouchard | 51 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 (French service); [35] 2019 (Argentine service) | Mar del Plata [36] |
Piedrabuena | 52 | 2019 | 4 July 2020 [37] [38] | 13 April 2021 [39] | Mar del Plata [40] |
Almirante Storni | 53 | 2019 | 10 May 2021 [41] | 13 October 2021 [42] [43] | Mar del Plata |
Bartolomé Cordero | 54 | 2020 | 21 September 2021 [44] | 11 July 2022 [45] [46] | Mar del Plata [45] |
In 2019 March 25, the United Arab Emirates Navy had signed a contract with Naval Group for Euro750 million (USD850m) for two 2500 class frigates (actually weighing 2,700 tonnes) with options for two more to be built in partnership with Abu Dhabi Ship Building Company (ADSB). They will be equipped with Naval Group's SETIS combat management system, MBDA's Exocet missile and VL Mica-NG missiles. This contract was announced in mid-June 2019 by Naval Group. [47]
Name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bani Yas | P110 | 2020 | 4 December 2021 [48] | 29 November 2023 [49] | Mina Zayed naval base [49] |
Al Emarat | P111 | 2020 | 13 May 2022 [48] | 27 June 2024 [50] | Mina Zayed naval base [49] |
In July 2019, Naval Group won a €1.2 billion contract, which included the construction of four new Gowind multi-mission corvettes for the Romanian Navy. Naval Group was due to build the first corvette within three years while the remaining three corvettes were to be constructed by Constanța Shipyard and delivered before 2026. [51] The contract was cancelled by Romanian Ministry of Defence on 8 August 2023, following disagreements on the price of constructing the corvettes. [52] [8]
In January 2020, the Indonesian Minister of Defence Prabowo Subianto during a bilateral meeting in France with his French counterpart Florence Parly said the Indonesian Ministry is interested in French military equipment; including 36 Dassault Rafale aircraft, Scorpène submarines and 2 Gowind corvettes. [53] On 7 June 2021, Indonesia signed a letter of intent to buy two Gowind corvettes from France. [54]
As of 2021 [update] , Greece is interested in 5 Gowind 2800HN corvettes based on the Gowind 2500 for the Hellenic Navy as part of a $5 billion defence package. [55]
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloop-of-war.
The La Fayette class is a class of general purpose frigates built by DCNS in the 1980s and 1990s, operated by the French Navy and three other navies. Derivatives of the type are in service in the navies of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Taiwan.
The FREMM, which stands for "European multi-purpose frigate", is a Franco-Italian family of multi-purpose frigates designed by Naval Group and Fincantieri. In France, this surface combatant is known as the "Aquitaine class", while in Italy it is known as the "Bergamini class". The lead ship of the class, Aquitaine, was commissioned in November 2012 by the French Navy. Italy has ordered six general purpose and four anti-submarine variants. France, on the other hand, has ordered six anti-submarine variants and two air-defense ones.
The SIGMA class is a Dutch-built family of modular naval vessels, of either corvette or frigate size, designed by Damen Group.
The OTO Melara 76 mm gun, marketed as the OTO 76/62 Gun Mount, is a naval autocannon built and designed by the Italian defence company OTO Melara. It is based on the OTO Melara 76/62C and evolved toward 76/62 SR and 76/62 Strales.
The Egyptian Navy, also known as the Egyptian Naval Force, is the maritime branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces. It is the largest navy in the Middle East as well as Africa, and is the twelfth largest navy in the world. The navy protects more than 2,000 kilometers of coastline of the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, defense of approaches to the Suez Canal, and it also supports for army operations. The majority of the modern Egyptian Navy was created with the help of the Soviet Union in the 1960s. The navy received ships in the 1980s from China and Western sources. In 1989, the Egyptian Navy had 18,000 personnel as well as 2,000 personnel in the Coast Guard. The navy received ships from the US in 1990. US shipbuilder Swiftships has built around 30 boats for the Egyptian Navy including mine hunters, survey vessels, and both steel and aluminium patrol boats.
The Royal Saudi Navy or Royal Saudi Naval Forces, is the maritime arm of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and one of the five service branches of the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia. Its primary role is monitoring and defending the Saudi territorial waters against military or economic intrusion, and participating in international naval alliances.
ARA Bouchard is a patrol vessel designed by the French company DCNS for maritime protection missions. She was originally part of the Gowind family of corvettes and patrol vessels but the less military members of the family like Bouchard have been moved into the Kership consortium. The design was self-funded by DCNS without an initial customer, and was initially leased to the French Navy as L'Adroit before being sold to the Argentine Navy in November 2018. The vessel was commissioned as ARA Bouchard in December 2019.
SMART-S Mk2(Signaal Multibeam Acquisition Radar for Tracking, S band Mk2) is a naval medium to long-range air and surface surveillance multibeam passive electronically scanned array 3D radar designed by Thales Nederland, formerly Hollandse Signaalapparaten (Signaal). While the original SMART-S radar was only produced in small numbers, SMART-S Mk2 is more successful with 30 systems were sold to navies all over the world within six years after being introduced. The radar transmitter/receiver (T/R) modules for the radar are purchased by Thales from the Turkish defence company Aselsan.
The Maharaja Lela-class frigate, also known as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), is a class of six stealth frigates being built for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). First announced as the Second Generation Patrol Vessel (SGPV) in 2011, the ships are based on an enlarged version of the Gowind-class corvette, designed by Naval Group, formerly known as DCNS of France.
The Kership class is a range of steel monohull offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) built by Kership, a joint venture of French civil shipbuilder Piriou (55%) and Naval shipbuilder DCNS (45%).
The defence and intervention frigate or FDI, also known as the Frégate de Taille Intermédiaire or FTI, is a class of French frigates. As of February 2022, five ships have been ordered for the French Navy, with the lead ship being named Amiral Ronarc'h, and an additional three, more heavily armed vessels, for the Hellenic Navy, with the lead ship named Kimon.
ENS El Fateh (971) is the lead ship of Egyptian Gowind-class corvette of the Egyptian Navy. She was commissioned on 22 September 2017.
ENS Port Said (976) is the second ship of Egyptian Gowind-class corvette of the Egyptian Navy.
ENS El Moez (981) is the third ship of Egyptian Gowind-class corvette of the Egyptian Navy.
ENS Ismailia (986) is the fourth ship of Egyptian Gowind-class corvette of the Egyptian Navy.
ARA Piedrabuena (P-52) is the second ship of Argentinian Gowind-class offshore patrol vessel of the Argentinian Navy.
ARA Almirante Storni (P-53) is the third Gowind-class offshore patrol vessel constructed for the Argentinian Navy.
ARA Almirante Bartolomé Cordero (P-54) is the fourth and final Gowind-class offshore patrol vessel constructed for the Argentinian Navy.
The Kimon class, also known as the FDI HN, is a frigate class for the Hellenic Navy. The FDI HN is a more heavily armed version of the French frigates. The lead ship is expected to be commissioned in early 2025.