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Germany approves 2 billion euro Meko 200 frigate export to Egypt

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Germany approves 2 billion euro Meko 200 frigate export to Egypt

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The German Federal Security Council has approved the export of a Meko 200 frigate produced by ThyssenKrupp to the Egyptian Navy. Spiegel reported that the frigate deal was signed in September, is worth EUR2 billion (USD2.3 billion) and covers four A-200s. Egypt may buy another frigate from the manufacturer in addition to the one it is approved for. Over the last few years, Egypt has considered a new surface vessel buy, looking primarily at French and German products. The Egyptian Navy operates Gowind 2500 corvettes and a FREMM frigate purchased recently from France, but has evidently favored the German Meko 200 for its new purchase.

SAS Spioenkop Meko 200 frigate
SAS Spioenkop Meko 200 frigate

The MEKO 200 is a frigate design by the Blohm + Voss shipyard of Germany, as part of the MEKO family of warships. This frigate features the CODAG-WARP (water jet and refined propellers) propulsion system: two CPP propeller shafts driven by cross-connectable diesel engines plus a center-line, gas turbine-driven water jet, combining the power of each drive in the water with no need for a combining gearbox. This arrangement allows for extremely quiet acoustic signatures, a high degree of propulsion redundancy, and damage survivability. In the diesel-only mode this propulsion arrangement is also an extremely economic solution, as a single engine can drive both shafts for speeds of up to 18 knots.
El Radii Meko 200 frigate
El Radii Meko 200 frigate

In November 2018, La Tribune reported that a deal between Egypt and Germany for four Meko 200s — worth up to 2 billion euros — had been inked two months prior. However, the deal was frozen soon after signing, stemming from Saudi pressure. The deterioration of Saudi-German relations, particularly after Saudi Arabia’s killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, reportedly led to Riyadh putting a hold on providing funding for Egypt’s purchase. Even so, Handelsblatt reported later in the month in November that a deal for two frigates at one billion euros had been finalized and a contract awarded for ThyssenKrupp.

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