On May 26th, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems handed over a frigate to the Navy of the Arab Republic of Egypt. It is the second in a series of four MEKO® A-200 EN frigates. The ceremony in Bremerhaven, which was attended by high-ranking Egyptian and German Navy officials, also included the naming of the vessel. The Commander in Chief of the Egyptian Navy, Vice Admiral Ashraf Ibrahim Atwa, named the ship “AL-QAHHAR”, meaning “The Irresistible Subduer”. In its class, the MEKO® A-200 EN is one of the most powerful warships in service today. Featuring a stealthy design, the frigates are dedicated to taking on the role of the new central combat platform of the Egyptian Navy.
“With today’s handover ceremony, we add a further highlight to the excellent relationship between the Egyptian Navy and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The ongoing cooperation on naval surface vessels and submarines is one of the cornerstones of the long-term partnership between our two countries. The first-of-class ship ‘AL-AZIZ’ is already in service and has since proven its technical capabilities and reliability, and its sister ship ‘AL-QAHHAR’ will be just as successful,” said Paul Glaser, CFO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
“This project is considered a role model for many countries in the field of joint military industrialization. Today, with the delivery of the ‘AL-QAHHAR’ frigate, our project has reached its midway,” stated Vice Admiral Atwa.
The next-generation vessels are more than 121 metres long, 16 metres wide and have a maximum speed of more than 29 knots. . Each ship will possess an extensive range of both defensive and offensive capabilities. In total, the Arab Republic of Egypt ordered four structurally identical vessels, with the firstthree units being produced in Germany and the fourth vessel being built by AlexandriaShipyard in Egypt. The building contract was signed in September 2018. Construction work on “AL-QAHHAR” started in December 2019, with keel laying in March 2020 and launching in August 2021. She will start the journey to her homeport in Alexandria in a few days. The next milestone in this project will be the handover of the third vessel of the series, “ALQADEER”, later this year.
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems of Germany (often abbreviated TKMS) is a group and holding company of providers of naval vessels, surface ships and submarines. It was founded when large industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp acquired Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft on January 5, 2005. The group consists of: Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel, Atlas Elektronik in Bremen and Hellenic Shipyards Co. in Skaramangas, Greece (25%). With around 6,500 employees, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is one of the world’s leading naval companies and a systems provider in submarine and surface shipbuilding as well as maritime electronics and security technology.