CAIRO (Xinhua) - Spokesman for the Egyptian army Colonel Staff Gharib Abdel-Hafez announced on Tuesday that his country had received a "Meko A200" frigate from Germany , marking its entry into service with the naval forces as part of a "comprehensive strategy for the development of the Egyptian naval fleet."

"The Armed Forces received the first (MEKO-A200) frigate, which was built by (TKMS) in the German (SBN) arsenal," Abdel Hafez said in a statement on his official Facebook page.

This multi-tasking frigate has the ability to sail 6,800 nautical miles, has a maximum speed of 28 knots, a total length of 121.6 meters, and a displacement of 3,931 tons, according to the statement.

The frigate also has "many technical characteristics and modern armament systems that enable it to carry out all combat missions at sea in times of peace and war, as well as combat various marine threats (surface - air - subsurface), combat smuggling and illegal immigration, and secure various sources of the country's natural resources at sea." .

The frigate is also characterized by the ability to secure the allied maritime shipping lines while securing the commercial ships passing by and carrying out humanitarian support operations in the affected areas.

The statement considered the "Miko A200" frigate "a huge technological addition to the capabilities of the naval forces and support their ability to protect Egyptian national security," and indicated that "the specialized and technical crews working on the new unit were prepared and qualified in record time, according to a simultaneous program that was implemented in two phases in Egypt and Germany." .

For his part, the Commander of the Egyptian Navy, Lieutenant General Ashraf Atwa, said, "The new unit is the most advanced in the Egyptian Navy to enhance its ability to achieve maritime security, protect borders and economic interests in the Red and Mediterranean Bahrain, in order to reach a deterrent force that provides freedom of safe maritime navigation in light of the challenges it faces." experienced in the region.”

The new frigate is one of the four MEKO-A200 frigates contracted between Egypt and Germany.

Recently, the Egyptian Navy has witnessed a "huge technological boom in armament systems and combat efficiency, according to the latest international systems," according to the statement.

The military expert, retired Major General Samir Farag, attributed the importance of this type of frigate to the Egyptian Navy, as it is "the most modern frigate in the world."

Faraj, former director of the Morale Affairs Department at the Egyptian Ministry of Defense, told Xinhua that "these frigates constitute a very important addition to the Egyptian naval forces, which will enhance their capabilities in the Red and Mediterranean Seas, helping them to first: secure the coasts, and secondly: prevent illegal immigration." Third: Securing the oil and gas fields in the Mediterranean and securing the navigational passage of the Suez Canal.

He commented on Egypt's continuation in contracting arms deals by saying, "Egypt contracted to buy weapons from Germany as well as America this year because Egypt is threatened from several directions," referring to terrorism in Sinai and the instability of the situation in Libya, as well as Egypt's desire to secure large investments. gas fields in the Mediterranean.

He emphasized that the Egyptian army's possession of modern weapons raises its global ranking.

The Egyptian army has been witnessing an unprecedented process of modernization and development since 2014, which contributed to placing Egypt and its army in an advanced global position among the global armies rankings.

The Egyptian Navy has a large share of the modernization and development process, which included the accession of two French Mistral helicopter carriers, German 209/1400 stealth submarines, a Russian B32 Molina launch, the Frigate Frame and other naval vessels.