Germany based shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) recently has handed over a frigate to the Navy of the Arab Republic of Egypt as part of a four-ship contract worth 2.3 billion euros (US$2.5 billion).
The Arab Republic of Egypt has placed an order for a total of four structurally identical vessels, with the first three units manufactured in Germany and the fourth vessel being constructed by Alexandria Shipyard in Egypt.
This is the second in a series of four MEKO A-200 EN frigate.
The ship “Al-Qahhar”, meaning “The Irresistible Subduer” during the handover ceremony by the Vice Admiral Ashraf Ibrahim Atwa, the Commander in Chief of the Egyptian Navy.
The contract for the building project was signed in September 2018 with TKMS with the construction commencing in December 2019.
The keel laying of “Al-Qahhar” was eventually laid in March 2020, and then the subsequent launching was held in August 2021.
The frigate is now set to embark on its journey to Alexandria, its designated homeport, within a few days.
The project’s next significant milestone will be the delivery of the third vessel in the series, “Al-Qadeer,” anticipated later this year.
About MEKO A-200 EN Frigate
Workhorses of the sea, the MEKO A-200 Frigate, follows the famous MEKO® 200 series general purpose frigates from the thyssenkrupp stable.
A fighting ship capable of full 4-dimensional warfare (AAW, ASW and ASuW, BCW), the MEKO® A-200 Frigate is also designed for sustained operations across the full spectrum of general missions and tasks: patrol and interdiction, support of special force operations, SAR and humanitarian operations.
The MEKO A-200 Frigate is a perfect example of the innovative propulsion, stealth and survivability design, robust sea-keeping and all-weather boat and helicopter operability that characterizes frigates from Marine Systems.
Technical data – MEKO A-200 EN Frigate:
Length (Overall): 121 m
Beam maximum: 16.3 m
Displacement, full load: 3,700 t
Propulsion (CODAG-WARP): 2 x 6 MW diesel engines on 2 x CPP + 1 x 20 MW gas turbine on 1 x waterjet
Speed maximum, full load: >28 knots
Range: 7,200 nm/16 knots
Complement (+ supernumeraries): 120 (+50 special forces/trainees)
Organic helicopters: 1 x 10 ton or 2 x 5-ton; 2 x UAVs
Boats/USVs: 2 x 7.5 m
Mission modules: 2 x TEU-sized modules; or 2 x 11 m boats; TAS; UUVs/USVs
Propulsion
The MEKO A-200 EN Frigate features the revolutionary CODAG-WARP (Water jet and Refined Propellers) propulsion system: two CPP propeller shafts driven by cross-connectable diesel engines plus a center-line gas turbine-driven water jet, combining the power of each drive in the water without the need of a combining gearbox.
This arrangement allows for extremely quiet acoustic signatures, a high degree of propulsion redundancy and damage survivability.
The propulsion arrangement also provides, in the diesel-only mode, an extremely economic solution, whereby one engine can drive both shafts for a ship’s speed of 18 knots.
This means that the ship will spend most of its life on a single diesel engine, bringing a significant reduction in through-life propulsion costs.
MEKO® Modularity in operation
Perfectly illustrating MEKO® Configuration Modularity, the two sub-classes of the A-200 (A-200 SAN pictured opposite, and A-200 AN shown below) have nearly identical ship platforms, but very different combat systems from different suppliers, according to the choices selected by the User Navies in terms of the flexible choice allowed customers by the MEKO® technology.
Sea-keeping and mobility
The MEKO A-200 EN Frigate has outstanding sea-keeping and tactical mobility.EN
The fast mono-hull features a forefoot skeg for greatly reduced yawing and directional stability in a seaway.
The >16 m beam and active fin stabilizers provide platform stability such that safe helicopter and boat operations can be conducted in sea state 6. A covered fo’c’sle and high freeboard provide for additional buoyancy and reduced deck wettnesses and slamming, allowing high speed transit in heavy seas.
With a tactical diameter of less than four ship lengths and a stopping distance from full speed using the reversing water jet (crash-stop manoeuvre) of less that two ship lengths, the MEKO® A-200 Frigate outperforms all frigates in the same tonnage class.
Stealth – the art of invisibility
The MEKO® A-200 Frigate has greatly reduced radar, IR, acoustic and magnetic signatures to hide and stay hidden: The X-Form® shell design; extensive bulwark screening of exposed equipment; flush-closing shell doors and RCSnet screening of all shell openings, give the vessel very low radar cross section.
Without a funnel, and with all combustion engines exhaust horizontally on or below the waterline with active cooling, plus a shell cooling system, this ship has exceptionally low IR signatures.
The small, light propellers and the aft-sighting of propulsion machinery allowed by CODAG-WARP combined with a forefoot skeg make for exceptionally quiet signatures.
The ship is fitted with a highly efficient active tri-axial degaussing system to reduce its magnetic signature.
Specification’s Source & Image Courtesy: https://www.thyssenkrupp-marinesystems.com/en/products-services/surface-vessels/frigates
