ENS El Moez (981) is known to have successfully completed sea trials and is ready to join the Egyptian Navy.
Recently, Egypt has signed many contracts to purchase military equipment from European countries, including Italy and France, to implement a strategy to comprehensively upgrade its naval forces. Soon, a series of new warships will be comissioned to the Egyptian Navy, significantly increasing the strength of its surface fleet. As part of the corvettes, Egypt is cooperating with the French Naval Group, formerly known as DCNS, to build four new 2,500-ton Gowind-class corvettes with an option for two more. The newest and third ship of the class, the ENS El Moez (981) is known to have successfully completed sea trials and is ready to join the Egyptian Navy. Her two sisters, El Fateh and Port Said, were commissioned into the Egyptian Navy in 2017 and 2021, respectively.
The Gowind design is a family of steel monohull frigates, corvettes and offshore patrol vessels developed since 2006 by France’s Naval Group to conduct missions in the littoral zone such as anti-submarine warfare (ASW). The Gowind family includes vessels with lengths from 85 to 111 metres and displacement from 1,000 tons to 3,100 tons.
El Moez was laid down in July 2018 and launched on 12 May 2019 by Alexandria Shipyard in Alexandria within a technology transfer agreement. The Egyptian version has a displacement of 2,500 tons, and a length between 102 m – 111 m. 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. ENS El Moez can reach a maximum speed of 28 knots, a range of 3,700 nmi at 15 knots, and an endurance of 21 days, and accommodate up to 65 crew members aboard.
Designed to carry out various operations including surface and sub-surface warfare, surveillance, protection and escort missions, All the Gowind-class vessels are equipped with the Naval Group’s SETIS combat management system, allowing the surface ships to perform high-intensity naval operations. The sensor and processing system includes the SMART-S MK2 3D Radar, and CAPTAS-2 variable depth sonar. Electronic warfare & decoys includes VIGILE 200 Tactical R-ESM System, ALTESSE Naval C-ESM. The vessels can also embark helicopter and drones. An aft deck has been provided allowing for a 10-ton class helicopter or UAV operations.
The Egyptian Navy’s El Moez will be armed with a standard Gowind class armament configuration, including 1 × OTO Melara 76 mm main gun, 2 × 20 mm Nexter Narwhal guns, 16 × VLS for MBDA VL MICA surface-to-air missiles, 8 × MBDA MM40 Exocet anti-ship missile launchers, and 2 × triple torpedo launchers.
