Helicopter Carrier Delivered to the Egyptian Navy

The flag transfer ceremony took place September 16, 2016 in the presence of the two Chiefs of Staff of the Egyptian and French navies, Admiral Rabie and Admiral Prazuck, the chairman and CEO of DCNS, Hervé Guillou, and the president of STX France, Laurent Castaing, together with senior French and Egyptian officials. By 2020, DCNS will have supplied seven combat vessels to Egypt, thus contributing to the modernization of the Arab Republic of Egypt's defense system. 

On October 10, 2015, DCNS signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Arab Republic of Egypt for the supply of two Mistral-class Landing Helicopter Dock vessels (LHDs), the first of which, LHD Gamal Abdel Nasser, was delivered June 2, 2016. The flag transfer for the two helicopter carriers forms an integral part of the continuity of the strategic partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Defence formalized already in July 2014 through the signature of a contract for the sale of four Gowind corvettes, then in August 2015 through the delivery to the Egyptian Navy of the FREMM multimission frigate Tahya Misr. DCNS has also secured long term multiannual maintenance contracts for Egyptian Navy vessels, as well as a technology-transfer agreement allowing the Alexandria shipyards to build three of the four Gowind corvettes acquired in 2014.

The LHD Anwar El Sadat will leave Saint-Nazaire in the next few days to sail to its home port of Alexandria. On this occasion, the Egyptian and French navies will participate in a joint exercise. Since June, 180 Egyptian sailors have been receiving training in Saint-Nazaire on this LHD. In line with the Egyptian Navy's image of excellence, they completed a remarkable task in just a few months of work, with the support of the DCNS instructors and our partners STX France and Défense Conseil International. In all, close to 400 Egyptian sailors will have received training in this way.

Able to conduct a wide range of civil and military missions, the Mistral-class LHD is a vessel that responds to the needs of numerous navies thanks to its versatility. With a length of 199 meters, a displacement of 22,000 metric tons and a speed exceeding 18 knots, the Mistral-class LHD vessel is characterized by its high capacity for the transportation of troops, equipment, heavy helicopters and landing craft, which it is capable of projecting around the world. It is equipped with an electric propulsion system that uses pods. It also has an onboard hospital, and can carry out large-scale humanitarian missions. Its highly capable communication system makes it the ideal command vessel within a naval force.

The fruit of a close collaboration between DCNS and STX, the three first LHDs, Mistral, Tonnerre and Dixmude were delivered to the French Navy in 2006, 2007 and 2012.