Egypt Receives Third Type 209 Submarine from Germany

Egypt Receives Third Type 209 Submarine from Germany

Source: Egyptian Armed Forces

Egypt on Friday received the third Type 209/1400 submarine from Germany. During the ceremony in Kiel, Vice Admiral Ahmed Khaled, Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Navy, officially named the submarine S43.

The S43, third of overall four submarines that are being delivered by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems will now be tested before delivery to the Egyptian navy. The program is planned to end with the handover of the fourth submarine in 2021.

Milestones in the Submarine Deal

Since the start of production of the first submarine at ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Kiel, the construction program has proceeded on schedule.

The contract for the delivery of the first two 209/1400mod class submarines to Egypt was signed in 2011. According to media reports, the contract for the first two submarines was worth around 900 million Euros.

In 2015, Egypt decided to take the option for two additional submarines of the most advanced version of the class 209 family. According to the German news agency DPA, the contract for the second two submarines is estimated at well over 500 million Euros.

The first Type 209/1400 submarine, named S41, was launched in Kiel, Germany, in December 2015. The same year, on October 21, Egyptian Navy Commander Osama Rabie announced that Egyptian Navy officers are being trained in Germany on using the submarine. 

The first submarine was handed over in December 2016 and the second submarine, the S42, in August 2017.

The Type 209 Submarine

Egypt’s Type 209 submarines measure approximately 62 meters in length, displace 1,450 tons, and have a pressure hull diameter of 6.2 meters. The 209/1400 is the most recent version of the Class 209 family in a line of 63 submarines contracted with 14 customer navies. 

Like all its predecessors, Class 209/1400mod is a compact and reliable submarine featuring most recent technology, high combat strength, extraordinary battery payload and low signatures. Its comprehensive mission profiles include surveillance and intelligence gathering tasks. It is also ideally suited for Special Forces operation missions.

Summary

The new submarine, manufactured by the German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, represents a breakthrough in technological combat abilities that aims at strengthening the capabilities of the Egyptian Navy in both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

The majority of the Egyptian Navy’s ships, including the submarine fleet, were received from the Soviet Union in the 1960s and China in the 1980s. Since the late 1990s, the Egyptian Navy has been undergoing a modernization project in which new vessels were acquired from western countries such as the United States, Germany, and France.

The Egyptian Navy currently has four improved Romeo-class diesel submarines, armed with encapsulated Harpoon (Sub-Harpoon capable), and modernized with new sonar, air conditioning and radar systems. However, the country has been looking for more modern replacements for the aging submarine fleet, over the last decade.

Egypt has learned its lessons and decided to reduce the overreliance on one provider (the United States) and diversifying the sources of Egypt’s armaments became a strategic priority. In spite of its financial problems, Egypt signed multibillion-dollar arms deals with France, Germany, China, and Russia.

Egypt has over 2,000 km of coastline in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. It has one of the biggest navies in the Middle East and the current arms deal will help Egypt to upgrade and modernize its naval force. Egypt’s Navy is currently taking part in a Saudi-led Arab operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The investment in a modern submarine fleet can be considered as a strategic response to regional challenges and less as a part of the Egyptian counter-terror strategy.

 

[Sources: Egypt Today, Naval Today, Defence Blog, Middle East Eye]

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