Egypt Close to Buying ThyssenKrupp MEKO A200 corvettes

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), is close to winning a contract for two corvettes in Egypt a deal in which France’s Naval Group was also a contender.

Negotiations between Egypt and Germany-based ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems are close to completion for a purchase of two MEKO A200 corvettes, French and Egyptian media reported.

Discussions are reportedly on about the equipment to be installed on the two Meko A200 corvettes and their financing, the reports said adding that if the TKMS deal is clinched, then the chance of selling two additional Gowind 2500 corvettes would considerably diminish.

France’s Naval Group has sold four Gowind 2500 ships to Egypt in 2014 and was in the race for two more. Incidentally, Cairo is expected to launch the first of three Gowind 2500 corvettes built locally by Alexandria Shipyard on Thursday.

French publication LATribune  commented: The sale of the two Meko A200 (3,400 tons DWT) remains very intriguing. They are twice as expensive as the two Gowind 2500 (1 billion euros excluding armament, against 500 million for the two French corvettes). In addition, this project will bring no benefit for the Egyptian industry. The two German corvettes are to be built in Kiel at Germany.

According to TKMS information, the MEKO A-200 contains innovative propulsion, stealth and survivability design, robust sea keeping and helicopter operability. 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.