.jpg) The EgyptianENSEl Fateh in August, 2022 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Gowind class |
| Builders | Naval Group Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation /Lumut Naval Shipyard Alexandria Shipyard |
| Operators | |
| Subclasses | Kership |
| Cost | |
| In commission | 22 September 2017 – present |
| Planned | 20 |
| Building | 7 |
| Completed | 8 |
| Cancelled | 5 (1 Royal Malaysian Navy, 4 Romanian Navy)[8][9] |
| Active | 8 (2 Egyptian Navy, 4 Argentine Navy, 2 UAE Navy) |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Frigate,Corvette,Offshore patrol vessel[10] |
| Displacement | 1,000 tons - 3,100 tons |
| Length | 85 m (278 ft 10 in) - 111 m (364 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion | CODAD |
| Speed | 28knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Range | 3,700 nmi (6,900 km; 4,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Endurance | 21 days |
| Complement | 65 + 15 Special forces |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried |
|
| Aviation facilities |
|
TheGowind design is a family of steelmonohullfrigates,corvettes andoffshore patrol vessels developed since 2006 byFrance'sNaval Group, formerly known as DCNS, to conduct missions in thelittoral zone such asanti-submarine warfare (ASW). The Gowind family includes vessels with lengths from 85 to 111 metres (278 ft 10 in to 364 ft 2 in) and displacement from 1,000 tons to 3,100 tons.[14]
The Gowind design can deployunmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) andunderwater unmanned vehicles (UUVs). An aft deck has been provided allowing for a 10-ton classhelicopter or UAV operations.
The platform's weapon system consists of a multi-functionalradar andVL MICAsurface-to-air missiles (SAM). It is armed withExocet anti-ship missiles. The propulsion system is based on Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD) and includes water-jets for improved maneuverability in shallow waters and high-speed performance. There is nofunnel on these ships. The radar and other sensors are mounted on a single centralmast thus allowing 360-degree view. Naval Group offers two variants of the design: Gowind 1000 and Gowind 2500 while Malaysia with the assistance of Naval Group locally developed the Gowind 3100.
As of October 2021, the Greek government is in discussions with Naval Group about the acquisition of up to seven Gowind corvettes with three of them being built in Greece.
The Gowind class originally consisted ofoffshore patrol vessels (OPVs) but after a rearrangement of productsNaval Group decided to remove the OPV from the Gowind class and develop the OPVs as a class of their own withL'Adroit top of the range. To do so it formed theKership joint venture with the Piriou shipyard inConcarneau,Brittany in May 2013 to build and market lightly armed and armoured OPVs for customs, fishing and other home security missions. Naval Group said this would enable it to concentrate on "developing relations" with clients seeking heavily armed and armoured warships while Kership handles the more civilian-standard OPVs.[15]
The Gowind 1000 is a 1,000-ton corvette designed for protection, escort and embargo naval missions in a littoral environment. The Gowind 1000 can also perform presence, surveillance, intelligence and policing missions. It is armed with:
Sensors:
The Gowind 2500 multi-mission corvette is designed for surveillance, surface and subsurface combat, protection and escort naval missions. It can also perform presence, maritime surveillance and policing missions against trafficking and piracy.
The Gowind 2500 capitalizes on Naval Group's expertise in vesselstealth.The vessel is equipped with facilities for an embarked helicopter anddrones. It is armed with:
Electronic warfare & decoys for Egypt's Gowind 2500:
The Gowind 3100 is a frigate with the displacement of 3,100 tons and length of 111 metres (364 ft 2 in).[16][17] It is armed with:
In 2014, Egypt signed a €1bn contract with Naval Group to buy four Gowind 2,500-ton corvettes with an option for two more. Separately, MBDA negotiated a contract to equip the ships withMICA vertical launch air-defense missiles and MM40 Block 3Exocet anti-ship missiles, together worth an additional 400 million euros, while Naval Group negotiated a 100–200 million euro contract fortorpedoes.[18] Three of the corvettes are to be built locally byAlexandria Shipyard within a technology transfer agreement. It was apparently PresidentAbdel Fattah el-Sisi who decided these were the ships he wanted rather than theMeko A200 being offered by German groupThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) or theSigma corvette proposed byDamen of the Netherlands.[1][15][3] Egypt is in talks with France to acquire another two Gowind corvettes which, if ordered, would be produced by France in Lorient.[19][20]
In April 2015, Naval Group started cutting metal for the very first Gowind 2500 corvette, with a planned construction period of 29 months. It is the first of a series of four units that will be delivered to Egypt before 2019. The corvette's first block was laid in the dry dock in September 2015.[21] Naval Group celebrated the launch of the first Egyptian Gowind corvetteEl Fateh at the Lorient naval shipyard in September 2016.El Fateh successfully concluded its firstsea trials by the end of March 2017.[22] The Egyptian Navy took delivery of the vessel in September 2017, three years after the order was placed.[23]
Alexandria Shipyard started cutting metal for the second Gowind corvette intended for the Egyptian Navy in April 2016. It is the first corvette to be built locally in Egypt. Naval Group sent supervision and technical assistance teams, technical data and necessary components to Alexandria for assisting Egypt in the local construction of the three corvettes. The company also provided training for the Egyptian staff at its site in Lorient.[24] All the Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Modules (PSIM) were produced and tested in Lorient by Naval Group and later shipped to Alexandria for installation on the corvettes. The launching ceremony of the second Gowind corvettePort Said took place in September 2018 in Alexandria.[25][26]
Construction work on the third vessel has already started. Its first block was laid in the dry dock by July 2018.[27]
| Name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Fateh | 971 | 30 September 2015[21] | 17 September 2016[28] | 22 September 2017[29] | Alexandria[30] |
| Port Said | 976 | 16 April 2016[24] | 7 September 2018[26] | 11 Jan 2021 | |
| El Moez | 981 | July 2018[27] | 12 May 2019 | ||
| Luxor | 986 | TBA | 14 May 2020[31] |
Malaysia is locally designing and building six stealth frigates displacing 3,100 tons and length 111 meter based on the design of the Gowind corvette.[32] In 2023, it is confirmed that Malaysia will only build five instead of six ship after the sixth ship were cancelled.[8]
| Name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maharaja Lela | 2501 | 8 March 2016 | 24 August 2017 | ||
| Raja Muda Nala | 2502 | 28 February 2017[33] | |||
| Raja Mahadi | 2503 | 18 December 2017 | |||
| Mat Salleh | 2504 | 31 October 2018 | |||
| Tok Janggut | 2505 | TBA[34] | |||
| Mat Kilau | 2506 | Cancelled[8] | |||
Argentina chose the OPV variant (Kership design). After repeated negotiations and break-offs. In February 2018 theArgentine Navy was instructed to restart negotiations with Naval Group for the procurement of four Gowind-class vessels. The decision was motivated by the meeting between Argentine PresidentMauricio Macri and French PresidentEmmanuel Macron at the annualWorld Economic Forum summit inDavos, Switzerland. An order for four vessels was expected in July 2018.[35] In November 2018, Argentina confirmed the purchase of four Gowind-class vessels. The purchase includes the already-builtL'Adroit, which in 2016 visited the region on a marketing trip and three new vessels.[36]
| Name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bouchard | 51 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 (French service);[37] 2019 (Argentine service) | Mar del Plata[38] |
| Piedrabuena | 52 | 2019 | 4 July 2020[39][40] | 13 April 2021[41] | Mar del Plata[42] |
| Almirante Storni | 53 | 2019 | 10 May 2021[43] | 13 October 2021[44][45] | Mar del Plata |
| Bartolomé Cordero | 54 | 2020 | 21 September 2021[46] | 11 July 2022[47][48] | Mar del Plata[47] |
In 2019 March 25, theUnited Arab EmiratesNavy had signed a contract with Naval Group forEuro750 million (USD850m) for two 2500 class frigates (actually weighing 2,700 tonnes) with options for two more to be built in partnership withAbu Dhabi Ship Building Company (ADSB). They will be equipped with Naval Group's SETIS combat management system, MBDA's Exocet missile and VL MICA-NG missiles. This contract was announced in mid-June 2019 by Naval Group.[49]
| Name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bani Yas | P110 | 2020 | 4 December 2021[50] | 29 November 2023[51] | Mina Zayed naval base[51] |
| Al Emarat | P111 | 2020 | 13 May 2022[50] | 27 June 2024[52] | Mina Zayed naval base[51] |
In July 2019, Naval Group won a €1.2 billion contract, which included the construction of four new Gowind multi-mission corvettes for theRomanian Navy. Naval Group was due to build the first corvette within three years while the remaining three corvettes were to be constructed byConstanța Shipyard and delivered before 2026.[53] The contract was cancelled by Romanian Ministry of Defence on 8 August 2023, following disagreements on the price of constructing the corvettes.[54][9]
In January 2020, the Indonesian Minister of DefencePrabowo Subianto during a bilateral meeting in France with his French counterpartFlorence Parly said the Indonesian Ministry is interested in French military equipment; including 36Dassault Rafale aircraft,Scorpène submarines and 2 Gowind corvettes.[55] On 7 June 2021, Indonesia signed a letter of intent to buy two Gowind corvettes from France.[56]
As of 2021[update], Greece is interested in 5 Gowind 2800HN corvettes based on the Gowind 2500 for theHellenic Navy as part of a $5 billion defence package.[57]
