Gowind-class design

The Gowind design is a family of steel monohull frigates, corvettes and offshore patrol vessels developed since 2006 by France's Naval Group, formerly known as DCNS, to conduct missions in littoral zone such as anti-submarine warfare (ASW). The Gowind family includes vessels with lengths from 85 to 111 metres (278 ft 10 in to 364 ft 2 in) and displacement from 1,000 tons to 3,100 tons.[10]

The Gowind 2500 corvette of the Egyptian Navy El Fateh
Class overview
Name: Gowind class
Builders: Naval Group
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC)
Alexandria Shipyard
Operators: Current operators
 Egyptian Navy [1][2][3]
 Royal Malaysian Navy[4]
 Argentine Navy[5]
Future operators
 United Arab Emirates Navy
 Romanian Naval Forces
Subclasses: Kership
Cost:
  • Gowind 1000: €80 million (2014) per unit
  • Gowind 2500: €375 million (2019) per unit
  • Gowind 3100: RM 1.5 billion (2011) per unit + ToT (ceiling)
In commission: 22 September 2017 – present
Planned: 20
Building: 6
Completed: 7
Active: 2
General characteristics
Type: Frigate , Corvette , Offshore patrol vessel[6]
Displacement: 1,000 tons - 3,100 tons
Length: 102 m (334 ft 8 in) - 111 m (364 ft 2 in)
Propulsion: CODAD
Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range: 3,700 nmi (6,900 km; 4,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Endurance: 21 days
Complement: 65 + 15 Special forces
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • VIGILE 200 Tactical R-ESM System
  • ALTESSE Naval C-ESM
Armament:
Aircraft carried:
Aviation facilities:

Stern hangar

Helicopter landing platform

The Gowind design can deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and underwater unmanned vehicles (UUVs). An aft deck has been provided allowing for a 10-ton class helicopter or UAV operations.

The platform's weapon system consists of a multi-functional radar and MICA surface-to-air missiles (SAM). It is armed with Exocet anti-ship missiles. The propulsion system is based on Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD) and includes water-jets for improved maneuverability in shallow waters and high-speed performance. There is no funnel on these ships. The radar and other sensors are mounted on a single central mast thus allowing 360-degree view. Naval Group offers two variants of the design: Gowind 1000 and Gowind 2500 while Malaysia with the assistance of Naval Group locally developed the Gowind 3100.

Reorganisation
Main article: Kership

The Gowind class originally consisted of offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) but after a rearrangement of products Naval Group decided to remove the OPV from the Gowind class and develop the OPVs as a class of their own with L'Adroit top of the range. To do so it formed the Kership joint venture with the Piriou shipyard in Concarneau, Brittany in May 2013 to build and market lightly armed and armoured OPVs for customs, fishing and other home security missions. Naval Group said this would enable it to concentrate on "developing relations" with clients seeking heavily armed and armoured warships while Kership handles the more civilian-standard OPVs.[11]

Class specifications

Gowind 1000

The Gowind 1000 is a 1,000-ton corvette which is well armed and fast. It is well-suited for protection, escort and embargo naval missions in a littoral environment. The Gowind 1000 can also perform presence, surveillance, intelligence and policing missions. It is armed with:

Sensors:

  • Integrated mast to integrate most sensors in a low observable design

Gowind 2500

The Gowind 2500 multi-mission corvette is designed for surveillance, surface and subsurface combat, protection and escort naval missions. It can also perform presence, maritime surveillance and policing missions against trafficking and piracy.

The Gowind 2500 capitalizes on Naval Group's expertise in vessel stealth. The vessel is equipped with facilities for an embarked helicopter and drones. It is armed with:

  • 1 × OTO Melara 76 mm main gun
  • 2 × Nexter Narwhal 20 mm cannon
  • 16 × VLS for VL Mica surface-to-air missiles
  • 8 × MBDA MM40 Exocet anti-ship missile launchers
  • 2 × triple torpedo launchers

Electronic warfare & decoys for Egypt's Gowind 2500:

  • Vigile 200 Tactical R-ESM System
  • Altesse Naval C-ESM
  • Sylena MK2 decoy launcher system

Gowind 3100

The Gowind 3100 is a frigate with the displacement of 3,100 tons and length of 111 metres (364 ft 2 in). It is armed with:

Vessels

Egypt
Installing the panoramic sensors and intelligence module on board the Gowind corvette El Fateh

In 2014, Egypt signed a €1bn contract with Naval Group to buy four Gowind 2,500-ton corvettes with an option for two more. Separately, MBDA negotiated a contract to equip the ships with MICA vertical launch air-defense missiles and MM40 Block 3 Exocet anti-ship missiles, together worth an additional 400 million euros, while Naval Group negotiated a 100–200 million euro contract for torpedoes.[12] Three of the corvettes are to be built locally by Alexandria Shipyard within a technology transfer agreement. It was apparently President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi who decided these were the ships he wanted rather than the Meko A200 being offered by German group ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) or the Sigma corvette proposed by Damen of the Netherlands.[1][11][3] Egypt is in talks with France to acquire another two Gowind corvettes which, if ordered, would be produced by France in Lorient.[13][14]

In April 2015, Naval Group started cutting metal for the very first Gowind 2500 corvette, with a planned construction period of 29 months. It is the first of a series of four units that will be delivered to Egypt before 2019. The corvette's first block was laid in the dry dock in September 2015.[15] Naval Group celebrated the launch of the first Egyptian Gowind corvette El Fateh at the Lorient naval shipyard in September 2016. El Fateh successfully concluded its first sea trials by the end of March 2017.[16] The Egyptian Navy took delivery of the vessel in September 2017, three years after the order was placed.[17]

Alexandria Shipyard started cutting metal for the second Gowind corvette intended for the Egyptian Navy in April 2016, it is the first corvette to be built locally in Egypt. Naval Group sent supervision and technical assistance teams, technical data and necessary components to Alexandria for assisting Egypt in the local construction of the three corvettes. The company also provided training for the Egyptian staff at its site in Lorient.[18] All the Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Modules (PSIM) were produced and tested in Lorient by Naval Group and later shipped to Alexandria for installation on the corvettes. The launching ceremony of the second Gowind corvette Port Said took place in September 2018 in Alexandria.[19][20]

Construction work on the third vessel has already started, its first block was laid in the dry dock by July 2018.[21]

NameHull numberLaid downLaunchedCommissionedHomeport
El Fateh97130 September 2015[15]17 September 2016[22]22 September 2017[23]Alexandria[24]
Port Said97616 April 2016[18]7 September 2018[20]11 Jan 2021
El Moez981July 2018[21]12 May 2019
Luxor986TBA14 May 2020[25]

Malaysia
Main article: Maharaja Lela-class frigate

Malaysia is locally designing and building six stealth frigates displacing 3,100 tons and length 111 meter based on the design of the Gowind corvette.[26]

NameHull numberLaid downLaunchedCommissionedHomeport
Maharaja Lela25018 March 201624 August 2017
Syarif Masahor250228 February 2017
Raja Mahadi250318 December 2017
Mat Salleh250431 October 2018
Tok Janggut2505TBA[27]
Mat Kilau2506

Argentina

After repeated negotiations and break-offs, in February 2018 the Argentine Navy was instructed to restart negotiations with Naval Group for the procurement of four Gowind-class vessels. The decision was motivated by the meeting between Argentine President Mauricio Macri and French President Emmanuel Macron at the annual World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland. An order for four vessels was expected in July 2018.[28] In November 2018, Argentina confirmed the purchase of four Gowind-class vessels. The purchase includes the already-built L'Adroit, which in 2016 visited the region on a marketing trip, and three new vessels.[29]

NameHull numberLaid downLaunchedCommissionedHomeport
Bouchard51201020112011 (French service);[30] 2019 (Argentine service)
Piedrabuena5220192020[31]
Almirante Storni532019
Bartolomé Cordero542020

Romania

In July 2019, Naval Group won a €1.2 billion contract, which includes the construction of four new Gowind multi-mission corvettes for the Romanian Navy, as well as a new maintenance center and a training center. Naval Group is due to build the first corvette within three years, while the remaining three corvettes will be constructed by Constanța Shipyard and be delivered before 2026.[32]

United Arab Emirates

In mid-June 2019, Naval Group announced[33] that the United Arab Emirates Navy had signed a contract on 25 March 2019 for Euro750 million (USD850m) for two 2500 class frigates (actually weighing 2,700 tonnes) with options for two more, to be built in partnership with Abu Dhabi Ship Building Company (ADSB). They will be equipped with Naval Group's SETIS combat management system, MBDA's Exocet missile, Raytheon's Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles.

Foreign interest

Indonesia

In January 2020 the Indonesian Minister of Defence Prabowo Subianto, during a bilateral meeting in France with his French counterpart Florence Parly, said the Indonesian Ministry is interested in French military equipment; including 36 Dassault Rafale aircraft, (in negotiation) Scorpène submarines, and 2 Gowind corvettes.[34]

See also

References
  1. Cabirol, Michel (15 September 2014). "Armement : nouveaux clins d'oeil de l'Egypte à la France". La Tribune (in French). Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. Cabirol, Michel (5 March 2014). "L'Egypte sur le point de s'offrir quatre Gowind de DCNS pour 1 milliard d'euros". La Tribune (in French). Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  3. "Egyptian Navy would be about to order 4 to 6 Gowind Combat Corvettes from DCNS". navyrecognition.com. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  4. "Royal Malaysian Navy Launched its First LCS Gowind Frigate KD Maharaja Lela". navyrecognition.com. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  5. "Argentine Navy Commissioned ARA Bouchard OPV Built By Naval Group". navalnews.com. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  6. "Products - Corvettes". DCNS. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  7. "CAPTAS-2 Variable depth sonar". Thales. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  8. "At Balt military expo 2014 DCNS unveiled the new Gowind 1000 corvette". navyrecognition.com. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  9. Blama, Andrea. "CAMCOPTER S-100 Integration into DCNS New Class of Offshore Patrol Vessel" (PDF). Schiebel. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  10. "Gowind Corvettes, France". naval-technology.com. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  11. Mackenzie, Christina (6 June 2014). "Egypt buys four Gowind corvettes". Aviation Week. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  12. "DCNS Confirms Sale of 10 Gowind Corvettes, Expects More". defense-aerospace.com. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  13. Cabirol, Michel (22 September 2015). "Les Egyptiens sont à Paris pour négocier l'achat des deux Mistral" [Egyptians are in Paris to negotiate the purchase of two Mistral]. La Tribune (in French). Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  14. "Diplomat: France Is In Talks With Egypt For New Corvette Sale". defensenews.com. Agence France-Presse. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  15. @navalgroup (30 September 2015). "The future Egyptian #Gowind corvette is taking shape at DCNS Lorient" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 August 2020 – via Twitter.
  16. "The first Gowind®2500 by DCNS succeeds in the beginning of its sea trials" (Press release). Naval Group. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  17. "Naval Group Delivers the First Gowind®2500 Corvette, ENS Elfateh, to the Egyptian Navy" (Press release). Naval Group. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  18. "Beginning of Construction of the First Gowind® 2500 Corvette Built in Egypt" (Press release). Naval Group. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  19. IndraStra Global (2018-09-09), "Port Said - Egyptian Navy's New Home-made Gowind 2500-class Corvette", youtube.com, retrieved 2018-11-21
  20. "Launching of the first Gowind 2500 corvette built in Egypt". navyrecognition.com. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  21. "Naval Group delivering Gowind sensor mast to Egypt". defenceweb.co.za. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  22. "Lorient. DCNS livre une corvette au gouvernement égyptien". Ouest France (in French). 17 September 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  23. Groizeleau, Vincent (23 March 2017). "Corvette Gowind : DCNS passe du concept à la réalité". meretmarine.com (in French). Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  24. ""El Fateh" frigate, submarine "42" arrive at Alexandria naval base" (Press release). Egypt State Information Service. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  25. "Egypt launches another locally built corvette". defenceweb.co.za. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  26. "Royal Malaysian Navy Releases First Official Image of its LCS-SGPV Corvette". navyrecognition.com. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  27. "Here We Go Again LCS". Malaysian Defence. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  28. Higuera, Jose (2 February 2018). "Argentina restarts talks with Naval Group for Gowind OPVs". IHS Jane's 360. Santiago. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  29. "Argentina confirms the purchase of four French OPVs". IHS Jane's 360. 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  30. "L'Adroit Offshore Patrol Vessel". naval-technology.com. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  31. Padilha, Luiz (11 August 2020). "Naval Group: ARA 'Piedrabuena' em avançado estágio de construção" [Naval Group: ARA 'Piedrabuena' in advanced construction stage]. Defesa Aérea & Naval (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  32. "Naval Group awarded €1.2 billion contract for 4 Romania navy corvettes". The Defense Post. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  33. Mackenzie, Christina (10 June 2019). "UAE, Naval Group quietly cut $850 million deal for Gowind ships". Defense News. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  34. "To face China, Indonesia is interested in the Rafale and French submarines". meta-defense.fr. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
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