North African Naval News

From JDW 7 Dec 2005

Egyptian fast missile boat programme revived
ROBIN HUGHES JDW Middle East Editor
London
VT Halter Marine will develop a functional design for Phase I of the Egyptian missile fast attack craft requirement The contract is worth USD28.8 million
The Egyptian Navy’s long-standing requirement for a new missile-armed fast attack craft capability is finally under way with the announcement that the US Department of Defense has issued a contract for the design of a new vessel.
Under a USD28.8 million contract, VT Halter Marine of the US, a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems, will develop a functional design for Phase I of the Egyptian missile fast attack craft requirement. Phase II of the programme will include production design work and construction of up to three vessels.
According to VT Halter Marine, the programme value could increase to more than USD450 million after Phase II is added to the contract.
“Completion of Phase I and the start of Phase II are planned as seamless consecutive events,” the company said.
The contract announcement follows a US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notification to Congress in July 2004 of the possible sale to Egypt of three missile-armed fast attack craft and associated equipment under a US government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement. In addition to the three vessels, Egypt has requested three United Defense (now BAE Systems) LP Mk 75 dual-purpose 76 mm/62-cal guns with Super Rapid Kits; three Raytheon RIM-116 MK 31 Mod 3 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) guided-missile point defence systems; installation of hull, mechanical and electrical equipment; communications; operations equipment; spare and repair parts; support equipment, associated personnel training and training equipment; publications and technical documents. The potential contract value of the total acquisition was quoted by the DSCA at the time as some USD565 million.
Egypt originally placed an order in January 2001 for four diesel-powered 60.62 m Ambassador III missile-armed fast attack craft, incorporating advanced signature reduction measures, to be built by Halter Marine, a subsidiary of Friede Goldman Halter, under FMS funding arrangements. However, the order was put on hold following Friede Goldman Halter filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2001 and the subsequent purchase of the company by Singapore Technologies Engineering in 2002.
The July 2004 notification marked the revival of the order, with Vision Technologies Halter Marine of Gulfport, Mississippi (now VT Halter Marine) – a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering – posted as prime contractor.
The Egyptian Navy’s original specifications called for a crew of 36, which is seen as the minimum needed to be able to operate the ship for up to eight hours at General Quarters (Condition I) and for up to eight days of sustained at-sea operations with weapons and sensors manned at Wartime Cruise (Condition III).
The original combat management system (CMS) was to be of multirole capability with anti-air, anti-surface, electronic warfare and active and passive countermeasure capabilities. Halter Marine chose Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems – Undersea Systems as the CMS system provider and integrator.
The currently planned outfit largely conforms to the original requirements, including the main gun and RAM systems. However, additional requirements for Phalanx 1B appear to have been dropped from the current design.
Other requirements from the 2001 order included a 3D combined air/surface search radar with target designation and electronic counter-countermeasure (ECCM) capabilities; an automatic acquisition and passive tracking fire-control system and provision for eight Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles. The crafts’ self-protection fit was to include a 360 degree electronic support measures and electronic countermeasure suite, and four decoy launchers to provide all-round cover.
The Egyptian Navy’s most recent additions to its patrol forces occurred with delivery of the last of five French 1970s-vintage Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie-built Type 148 Tiger-class missile-armed fast attack craft from the German Navy in March 2003. However, with the exception of retrofitted Triton search and Castor fire-control radars, no other modifications or upgrades have been introduced to the vessels since entering Egyptian Navy service.
Weapon and sensor system requirements for Egypt’s new fast attack craft include: an integrated bridge system; external communications system; tactical datalinks; a combined air/surface surveillance radar system capable of 3-D target designation and ECCM capable; Signaal’s (now Thales Nederland) Scout navigation radar system; a fire-control system capable of using automatic acquisition and tracking, including passive track ability of targets with extensive ECCM capability; a lightweight shipboard electro-optical system; electronic support measures/electronic countermeasures suite (ESM/ECM) with 360º coverage; four decoy launchers for 360º coverage; eight Boeing Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles; a point defence missile system comprising the Raytheon Mk 49 guided missile-launching system for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM); a Raytheon Mk 15 Mod 21 (Block IB) Phalanx close-in weapons system (CIWS); a United Defense LP Mk 75 dual-purpose 76 mm/62-cal super rapid-fire gun (upgraded and overhauled); and two removable M60 7.62 mm general-purpose machine guns.