On Wednesday 22 July, the FREMM FFG-1001 Tahya Misr of the Egyptian navy left the Brest military port to join its homeport in Alexandria, Egypt, six months after the contract for the supply of a multi-mission frigate was signed between DCNS and the Ministry of Defence of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

DCNS quickly initiated the required adaptation and outfitting work and the training of seamen to permit the Egyptian navy to take on the ship. As early as March 2015 DCNS trained the Egyptian seamen making up this frigate’s crew. In order to operate such a highly automated ship safely, DCNS and its partners accompany the crew for a period of 15 months. The programme includes several phases: theoretical modules, on-land training using platforms and simulators and then onboard training both at the quayside and at sea.

On 23 June of this year, the FREMM Tahya Misr was transferred from DCNS to the Egyptian navy during a ceremony attended by the Egyptian and French Defence Ministers. On 22 July, the Egyptian FREMM cast off from Brest and headed to Alexandria, its homeport.

The partnership with DCNS does not, however, stop with the FREMM Tahya Misr leaving France: the contract also includes DCNS providing support services and through life support in Egypt for the next five years.

 

Second international success for the FREMM

The most technologically advanced and most competitive ship on the market, the FREMM meets the operational requirements of numerous navies due to its versatility and its maneuverability. Capitalizing on its unprecedented success in Europe for the firing of the naval cruise missile on board the FREMM Aquitaine on 19 May 2015, DCNS offers its clients vessels that are global references in terms of their design and construction as well as for the integration of innovative systems.

In addition, the updating of the Military Planning Law will permit DCNS to continue developing its range of ships and services and to accelerate its international development. With the kick-off of the intermediate-size frigate program, DCNS is going to propose a product, which meets the needs of the French Navy and will meet a growing international demand for front-line frigates of approximately 4,000 tons.

Currently, in the surface ship market, DCNS counts among its customers, the Royal Moroccan Navy with the delivery in January 2014 of the FREMM Mohammed VI and the Egyptian Navy with the delivery of the FREMM Tahya Misr (FFG-1001) and four GOWIND corvettes. Moreover, DCNS is building six GOWIND corvettes for the Malaysian Navy. These contracts show the success of DCNS’ products in the international market.

 

Technical characteristics of the FREMMs

Equipped with high-tech sensors and weapons, integrated with the SETIS combat system developed by DCNS, the frigate can counter all types of threats, whether air, surface, submarine or land-based. The heavily armed FREMM is equipped with the most effective weapons systems and equipment, such as the Herakles multifunction radar, the Aster and Exocet MM 40 missiles, or the MU 90 torpedoes. It is innovative and offers unequalled levels of interoperability and availability.

 

Characteristics

Total length	466 feet/142 m
Width	65.6 feet/20 m
Displacement	6,000 tonnes
Maximum speed	27 knots/31 mph/50 km/h
Operation	108 persons (including helicopter detachment)
Accommodation capacity	145 men and women
Cruising range at 15 knots/17 mph/28 km/h	6,000 nautical miles/6,905 miles/11,112 km