The Egyptian Navy has reportedly placed an order for two Italian FREMM Bergamini-class frigates for $1.2 billion according to Italian media.
The deal was signed in August this year, could potentially involve a follow-on order for two more ship’s. However, it was first reported in June, but was delayed due to Egypt’s human rights record, says Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio during a parliamentary briefing on 10 June.
The frigate deal is believed to be part of a much larger package that includes another four frigates, 20 corvettes based on the Falaj class that Fincantieri built for the United Arab Emirates, 24 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole jets, 24 M346 jet trainers, and a surveillance satellite.
The first FREMM bergamini-class frigate is expected to be delivered by the end of this year, while the second ship in 2021. Both frigates, Bergamini-class fridate, Spartaco Schergat and Emilio Bianchi were initially ordered for the Italian Navy and have been launched, but has not been commissioned yet.
The FREMM program is a joint Italian-French project for a new generation of frigates, having a common baseline, but with different functions to meet individual nation’s requirement.
The FREMM Bergamini-class frigates have a full load displacement of 6,500 tons, an overall length of about 144 metres and a top speed exceeding 27 knots.
The general purpose variant has a crew of 145 personnel while the anti-submarine variant is 147.
As a multi-mission ship, the FREMM Bergamini-class frigates comes equipped with a variety of weapons capabilities to suit different mission requirements.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Navy has also indicated interest Fincantieri patrol ships, with plans for local production similar the model adopted with the French Gowind corvettes.