The Egyptian military-owned Alexandria shipyard has announced that it is building the fourth and last Egyptian Navy MEKO A200 frigates at the company’s construction facility in Alexandria, in cooperation with the Germany-based Thysskenkrupp (TKMS).
Alexandria Shipyards announced this at the second edition of Egypt International Defense Exhibition EDEX-2021.
The Egyptian version dubbed the MEKO A200EN is considered the most lethal of the Meko frigate series. It will displace 3700 to 4000 tons with a length of 121 meters.
Equipped with the latest generation of Thales NS-110 4D AESA air and surface surveillance radar which is an advanced and upgraded version of the original NS-100 3D radar, decoys launchers for C310 high-performance anti-torpedo counter-measures system, 2× 32 Tube laser-decoys launchers for Rheinmetall Multi Ammunition Softkill System EM/IR (MASS), Thales SCORPION Electronic Warfare Support Measures System (ECM), SATCOM System.
For the sonar, the vessel is planned to be equipped with a towed array sonar.
The MEKO A200EN armament will include an LW 127mm main cannon armed with Vulcano and Dart shells, 32 Vertical Launch Systems (VLS) fitted with MICA New Generation (NG) Surface-to-Air Missiles, sixteen Launchers planned to be equipped with Exocet Anti-ships missiles, Oerlikon Searanger 20mm naval guns.
The vessel will have a DM2A4 Seahake and MU-90 Torpedos, a helipad with a hanger that can accommodate two helicopters, and a vertically launch drone.
Egypt ordered four A-200 frigates in 2018, for a total of EUR two (2) billion Euros. At first, the frigate deal was signed, with an order for just two MEKO A-200 frigates for a total of 1 billion Euros, it was later increased to four ships.
Budestag’s Budget Committee gave its approval for an export credit guarantee for the six vessels, in 2019, the export credit provides guarantees of up to 2.3 billion euros for the transaction.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government approved the delivery of three Meko frigates and 16 air defence systems from Diehl Defence before leaving the office late last year.
Former Minister of Economy Peter Altmaier sent a letter about the deals on December 7 to Bundestag President Bärbel Bas, a day before the swearing-in of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
At the moment, two Egyptian Meko A200 frigates are complete and are currently being fitted with weaponry systems and equipment, while a third frigate is in the final construction phase in Bremerhaven, Germany.