Surface Forces: Fast Missile Craft For Egypt

Archives

November 6, 2011: The first of four Fast Missile Craft (FMC) for Egypt was officially dedicated and named in the U.S. (Mississippi) shipyard where it is being fitted out with weapons and equipment. The ENS Ezzat was recently launched and will be delivered late next year. The 600 ton, 63 meter (195 foot) long FMCs have a crew of 35 and are armed with a 76mm cannon, eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles, 21 RAM anti-aircraft missiles, a 20mm anti-missile autocannon and two 7.62mm machine-guns. The crew also has access to assault rifles and pistols. Top speed is 61 kilometers an hour and there are fuel and provisions on board for the ship to stay at sea for eight days at a time. These ships cost about $200 million each and all four will be delivered within three years.

Egypt needs these ships to help guard the two entrances to the Suez Canal (a major economic activity, which brings in billions a year in revenue). In practice, these ships do not spend most of their time at sea. The engines of the FMC are built to be operated 100 days a year, and be dry-docked for overhaul every 24 months. You can operate the engines more frequently, but that means the 24 month overhaul will arrive earlier.

 

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close