ENS El Fateh (971) is the lead ship of the Egyptian Navy's Gowind-class corvettes (Gowind 2500 design). She was commissioned on 22 September 2017 and serves in multi-mission roles including surveillance, surface and subsurface combat, and naval escort duties.
History
The name El Fateh (الفاتح) was originally carried by the former British destroyer HMS Zenith (R95), which was acquired by the Egyptian Navy in 1955. The name was transferred to the new Gowind-class vessel upon its commissioning in September 2017.
In 2014, Egypt signed a €1 billion contract with Naval Group (then DCNS) to purchase four Gowind 2,500-ton corvettes, with an option for two additional vessels. A separate contract worth approximately €400 million was negotiated with MBDA to equip the ships with MICA vertical launch air-defense missiles and MM40 Block 3 Exocet anti-ship missiles. An additional €100–200 million contract covered torpedoes. Three of the corvettes were to be built locally by Alexandria Shipyard under a technology transfer agreement, while the lead ship was constructed in France.
Construction
The vessel was laid down on 30 September 2015 at the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient, France. She was launched on 17 September 2016 and successfully completed her first sea trials by the end of March 2017. The Egyptian Navy took delivery of the vessel on 22 September 2017, three years after the order was placed.
General Characteristics
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Class & type | Gowind-class corvette |
| Displacement | 2,500 tons |
| Length | 102 m (334 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 16 m (52 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion | CODED (combined diesel-electric and diesel-mechanical) |
| Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) |
| Range | 3,700 nmi (6,900 km) at 15 knots |
| Endurance | 21 days |
| Complement | 65 + 15 special forces |
| Home port | Alexandria |
| Pennant number | 971 |
| MMSI number | 622121045 |
| Call sign | SUEP |
Armament
- 1 × OTO Melara 76 mm main gun
- 2 × Nexter Narwhal 20 mm remote weapon stations
- 16 × vertical launch system cells for VL MICA-M surface-to-air missiles
- 8 × Exocet MM-40 Block-3 anti-ship cruise missiles
- 2 × triple-tubed torpedo launchers
Sensors and Systems
- Naval Group's SETIS combat management system
- Thales Nederland's SMART-S Mk.2 3D radar
- Thales TUS CAPTAS-2 variable depth sonar
- VIGILE 200 Tactical R-ESM electronic warfare system
- ALTESSE Naval C-ESM electronic warfare system
Aviation Facilities
The vessel is equipped with a hangar and helipad capable of accommodating a helicopter of up to 10 tons, as well as a Schiebel Camcopter S-100 unmanned aerial vehicle.
Status
ENS El Fateh is active and homeported at Alexandria, Egypt.
