French shipyard DCNS has delivered the first Mistral-class landing helo dock (LHD) helicopter carrier to the Ministry of Defence of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Christened as Gamal Abdel Nasser, the helicopter carrier represents the first of two LHDs to be delivered to the Egyptian Navy by DCNS under a contract signed in October last year.
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Egypt agreed to buy these new-build helicopter carriers after France and Russia terminated a €1.2bn ($1.3bn) contract over the Ukraine crisis.
DCNS chairman and CEO Hervé Guillou said: "The delivery of the Landing Helo Dock (LHD) Gamal Abdel Nasser consolidates our relationship with the Arab Republic of Egypt which can count on the total commitment of DCNS and its partners to successfully conduct all of the programmes entrusted to us.
"I would also like to thank the French Government authorities who constantly supported us on this contract.
"Furthermore, this delivery once again demonstrates our ability to efficiently cooperate with our partner STX France in order to meet the expectations of our client, within strict respects of budgets and deadlines."
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By GlobalDataThe 199m-long vessel can be deployed for a range of civil and military missions and can operate at a speed of more than 18k.
It is incorporated with an electric propulsion system that uses pods and a communication system that makes it suited to act as a command vessel within a naval force.
The vessel features an on-board hospital that allows it to cater to humanitarian missions. It is equipped with a huge capacity to transport troops, equipment, heavy helicopters and landing craft.
Before being homeported in Alexandria, the LHD Gamal Abdel Nasser is scheduled to participate in a joint exercise between the Egyptian and French Navies.
The company has also provided training for 180 Egyptian sailors on the LHD in Saint-Nazaire since February this year.
DCNS is also contracted by the Egyptian Ministry of Defence to deliver four Gowind corvettes and last year handed over the FREMM multi-mission frigate, Tahya Misr, to the navy.
Additionally, the shipyard is set to deliver seven combat vessels to the Egyptian Navy by 2020, as part of efforts to modernise Egypt’s defence system.
Image: DCNS delivers first Mistral-class LHD, Gamal Abdel Nasser, to the Egyptian Navy. Photo: courtesy of DCNS.
