Article Posted on : - Feb 18, 2015

A DCNS photo

PARIS (BNS): The Ministry of Defence of Egypt and French defence company DCNS have signed a contract for the supply of a FREMM multi-mission frigate.

The contract for the frigate was signed on Monday, according to DCNS.

The frigate, the current Normandie, will be delivered mid-2015 after some outfitting work, and the first phase of the training programme, it said.

The FREMM for the Egyptian Navy will be taken from the series currently under construction for the French Navy.

To ensure that the operational capacities of the French Navy will not be affected, DCNS will speed up the rate of production of subsequent ships, it added.

Hervé Guillou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DCNS, said: "I would like to thank the Egyptian authorities for the trust they have once again placed in us, for the participation in the modernisation of their defence system. DCNS will be keen to demonstrate that this trust is justified..."

"With this historical agreement, DCNS is pursuing a policy of long-term partnership with the Egyptian Navy and its shipyards, with whom we plan to invest in the long-term to develop their skills and industrial facilities. In addition, strengthening our relations opens new perspectives for the sale of vessels," he said.

Multi-mission frigates are versatile vessels able to respond to all types of air, marine, submarine or land threats. FREMM frigates are at the cutting edge of technology and are perfectly suited to ensuring that client navies are able to respond to current threats and the growing needs of maritime security, the Company said.