The German government has reportedly approved a frigate export to Egypt.
Spiegel Online, citing official documents, reported on January 2, 2019, that the German Federal Security Council has approved the export of a Meko 200 frigate to the Egyptian Navy. The frigate, produced by ThyssenKrupp, likely costs around 500 million euros, sources told the publication. Spiegel noted that Egypt may buy another frigate from the manufacturer in addition to the one it is approved for.
Over the last few years, Egypt has considered a new surface vessel buy, looking primarily at French and German products. The Egyptian Navy operates Gowind 2500 corvettes and a FREMM frigate purchased recently from France, but has evidently favored the German Meko 200 for its new purchase.
In November 2018, La Tribune reported that a deal between Egypt and Germany for four Meko 200s — worth up to 2 billion euros — had been inked two months prior. The publication noted that the Egyptian government was initially looking to purchase two Meko 200s, both to be built in Germany, but later adjusted its requirement to four vessels, one to be built in Egypt.
However, the deal was frozen soon after signing, according to La Tribune, stemming from Saudi pressure. The deterioration of Saudi-German relations, particularly after Saudi Arabia’s killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, reportedly led to Riyadh putting a hold on providing funding for Egypt’s purchase.
Even so, Handelsblatt reported later in the month in November that a deal for two frigates at one billion euros had been finalized and a contract awarded for ThyssenKrupp.
Military markets analyst, covering Eurasia, Middle East, and Africa.
