Egypt receives new French Corvette

Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The first of four Gowind 2500 corvettes was been delivered Friday to the Egyptian Navy by France's Naval Group.

The ENS ELFATEH was handed over in a ceremony at a company shipyard in Lorient and will set sail for Egypt on Saturday, Naval Group said.

Naval Group, formerly known as DCNS, said the corvette was delivered in just 36 months after it was ordered.

"Design, build and testing have been achieved in a record of three years," Naval Group President and Chief Executive Officer Hervé Guillou said in a press release. "Naval Group and its industrial partners are mobilized to assist Egypt in the local construction [and] in technology transfer of the three following corvettes. Once again I would like to enhance the exceptional professionalism of the Egyptian crew members and engineers."

Gowind 2500 corvettes are modular in design. The vessel has a range of 3,700 nautical miles at 15 knots and carries a crew of 80.

Naval Group said the navy of Malaysia has also ordered six of the vessels.