The CEO of the French company Naval Group, Herve Guillou, expressed his joy on Friday at delivering the first of four GOWIND corvettes to the Egyptian navy, saying that the handover “bolsters ties between the states of Egypt and France and between their navies.” The new ship was handed over at a ceremony in the French seaport of Lorient on Friday, with the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian navy, Vice-Admiral Ahmed Khaled, in attendance. The ship, named Al-Fateh, can reach a speed of 25 knots, has a length of 103 metres, and can execute all naval combat duties, such as destroying submarines, launching rockets, and guarding and protecting ground forces on coastlines. Guillou praised what he described as the “strategic partnership” between Egypt and his company, adding that Naval Group manufactured the corvette in record time to meet the deadlines set by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. According to Guillou, El-Sisi wanted the Egyptian navy to have the latest technologies as quickly as possible. Guillou said that they worked speedily on the corvette as “their duty towards an ally.” Depicting its technical characteristics, Guillou said that the GOWIND is “bristling with the latest technological advances, which guarantee Egyptian sovereignty.” “The GOWIND corvette is the latest generation of vessels and incorporates panoramic sensors, a high combat system, as well as an operational centre with associated technical rooms," Guillou said. The new vessel is part of a deal to manufacture four corvettes for the Egyptian navy, one in France and three in Egypt. The three remaining will be manufactured by Alexandria's Al-Tersana Company, using Egyptian experts and professionals, as per the navy's deal with Naval Group.
