As reported, on April 5, 2022, the lead frigate Al-Aziz (tail number "904") of the MEKO 200EN project, built for the Egyptian Navy by the German shipbuilding association thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), from the Keel for the first time, out of four ordered ships.
The lead frigate built for the Egyptian Navy by the German shipbuilding association thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is the Al-Aziz frigate (tail number "904") of the MEKO 200EN project on sea trials, 05.04.2022 (c) Mahmoud Gamal / twitter.com/mahmouedgamal
Recall that the German concern thyssenkrupp (which includes TKMS) in September 2018 signed an agreement with Egypt on the construction of four frigates of the MEKO A200EN project for the Egyptian fleet worth about 2.35 billion euros (excluding the cost of missile weapons), while it was envisaged to build one of these frigates under license in Egypt. At the beginning of 2019, it was reported that the number of frigates ordered by Egypt of the MEKO A200EN project increased to six, and two additional ships were also supposed to be built in Egypt, due to the signing of a contract for financing, in addition to Saudi Arabia, which acted from the very beginning as a sponsor, also the United Arab Emirates. However, according to recent reports, only one frigate MEKO A200EN will be built in Egypt at the naval shipyard in Alexandria so far. In addition to Saudi Arabia's funds, the contract is also being implemented at the expense of an export loan issued by Germany.
The frigates of the MEKO A200EN project under construction for the Egyptian Navy are similar in appearance to the two previously built TKMS for Algeria frigates of the MEKO A200AN project (type El Radii, commissioned in 2016-2017). The construction of Egyptian frigates is carried out according to a complex scheme already traditional for modern German military shipbuilding - hull sections (in fact, halves) of frigate hulls were built under contract at the Stahlbau Nord shipbuilding company (Heinrich Rönner Gruppe group) in Bremerhaven, then transported to the BVT Bremen shipyard of the same group in Bremen, where the hulls were docked and launched. After that, the hulls of the ships were towed to Kiel, where their completion and equipment are carried out first at the Kieler Werft TKMS shipyard, which is responsible for the final integration, testing and delivery of these ships.
The lead frigate for Egypt, Al-Aziz (tail number "904"), was launched in Bremen on April 27, 2021 and has now been tested in Kiel. Two other frigates under construction in Germany for Egypt were also launched later in 2021.
In December 2021, the construction of the fourth frigate of the MEKO A200EN project began at the Egyptian Naval shipyard in Alexandria in cooperation with TKMS.
The length of the frigate of the MEKO A200EN project is 121 meters, and the total displacement is about 4,000 tons. It is known that the armament of the Egyptian ships of the MEKO A200EN project consists of two or four four-container launchers of MBDA Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles, a 32-charge vertical MBDA MICA-NG medium-range air defense missile launcher, a 127-mm/64 Leonardo LW universal artillery launcher with a Vulcano weapon system, four 20-mm remotely controlled artillery installations, two 533-mm torpedo tubes for SeaHake Mod 4 torpedoes, 324-mm torpedo tubes for MU-90 anti-submarine torpedoes, one or two helicopters permanently based in the hangar. The ships are equipped with the Thales NS110 general detection radar with AFAR and other modern electronic weapons of the Thales Group.
The lead frigate Al-Aziz (tail number "904") of the MEKO 200EN project built for the Egyptian Navy by the German shipbuilding association thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is being put to sea trials, 05.04.2022 (c) Mahmoud Gamal / twitter.com/mahmouedgamal
