Today, the Greek Government Council of National Security (KYSEA) under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister K. Mitsotakis decided to postpone the decision on the new corvette program for early 2023.
The Greek government will select the preferred bidder for the Hellenic Navy (HN) corvette program, between Italian Fincantieri’s FCX30 (Qatar’s Doha/Al Zubarah-class variant) and French Naval Group’s Gowind (Egypt’s El Fateh-class variant). Both manufacturers have submitted their final and best offers. The corvette program follows the HN’s frigate program where Naval Group was selected over five other competing bids (Babcok’s Arrowhead 140, Navantia’s F110, Fincantieri’s FREMM IT, TKMS’s MEKO A-200, Lockheed Martin’s MMSC/HF2 and Damen’s SIGMA 11515), to supply Greece with new frigates. Greece will procure three (plus one optional) FDI (Defence and Intervention Frigates) in their HN configuration (FDI HN), along with their weapons load and integrated logistics support (ILS) for a total value of about €3,1 billion.
The corvette program is intended to provide Greece with a fleet of three plus one optional ships, at an average production cost of approximately €400 million per ship as part of the second major naval program that exceeds the €2 billion, and includes also the MLU of the four Hydra-class (MEKO 200HN) frigates. The Greek government requires the first vessel to be built aborad while the rest 2+1 vessels to be built locally with transfer of technology in order to revitalize Greece’s naval industry. Both Fincantieri and Naval Group have signed a number of memorandums of understanding (MoU) with a selection of Greek potential new suppliers.
Naval Group has published a press release that promises a Greek industry participation plan with 30% of the program value in Greece and hundreds of jobs in Greece over the next 40 years. The first corvette will be built in Lorient and will be delivered in 3 years after the coming into force of the contract while the rest three at the Hellenic Shipyards in Skaramangas with a pace of one Gowind every 12 months. Moreover, the French argue that they will provide Greece with the best capabilities in the shortest timeframe with optimized costs and the highest level of commonalities with the FDI HN frigates. They offer also a very attractive financing proposal based on long term differed payments.
Fincantieri also published a press release reporting the sign of an official agreement with ONEX Shipyards & Technologies Group for the creation of a corvette manufacturing line and their life-cycle support base, that will be located at Onex Naval and Maritime Elefsis Shipyards. The agreement provides the terms of collaboration for the construction of 2+1 corvettes at Onex Elefsis Shipyards along with the necessary upgrades, improvements, know-how and transfer of technology, equipment, which are estimated at approximately €80 million. They expect the creation of 2,500 direct and indirect new jobs in Greece’s shipbuilding industry.
Both candidates offer proven designs which embody full multi-mission warfighting capabilities including anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and special operations forces (SOF) missions. For these purposes both ships are equipped with a multitude of cutting-edge technology sensors and weapons of the French and Italian defense industry respectively, capable of supporting all the range of modern naval operations.
Gowind Corvette
Gowind’s full load displacement is 2,800 tonnes and it has a length of 102m and width of 16m. It will be powered by a 10-MW COmbined Diesel-eLectric Or Diesel (CODLOD) propulsion package allowing to reach a maximum speed in excess of 25 knots, while the maximum range is 4,500 nautical miles at 15 knots. It can accommodate an MH-60R helicopter, and one UAS while it carries two RHIB. The electronic equipment includes an NS110 surveillance radar with integrated IFF, VIGILE R-ESM, ALTESSE-H C-ESM & COMINT, KINGKLIP Mk2 HMS, CAPTAS-2 VDS, SETIS CMS, TDS, and navigation radars. The armament consists of an OTO 76mm SR gun, 16 VL MICA/VL MICA NG SAM, 8 MM40 EXOCET Block 3C ASM, two triple TT for MU90 LWT, 21-cell RAM CIWS, 2 NARWHAL 20mm RWS and HMGs. The DLS are at least two Sylena Mk2.
FCX30 Corvette
Fincantieri has revealed some general images of Doha/Al Zubarah-class without clarifying the exact sensors and weapons configuration. FCX30’s full load displacement is 3,250 tonnes and it has a length of 107m and width of 14.7m. It will be powered by combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) or COmbined Diesel-eLectric Or Diesel (CODLOD) propulsion package allowing to reach a maximum speed of 28 knots, while the maximum range is 5,000 nautical miles at 14 knots. It can accommodate an MH60R helicopter, and one UAS while it carries two RHIB. The electronic equipment includes a KRONOS Naval MFR with integrated IFF, NA30S Mk2 FCR, ZEUS/VIRGILIUS R-ESM/R-ECM/C-ESM suite, unknown HMS and VDS combination, ATHENA CMS, and navigation radars. The armament consists of an OTO 76mm SR gun easily supporting STRALES CIWS thanks to the NA30S Mk2, 16 VL MICA/VL MICA NG SAM or 16-32 CAMM-ER SAM, 8 MM40 EXOCET Block 3C ASM, two triple TT for MU90 LWT, 21-cell RAM CIWS, 2 MARLIN 30mm RWS and HMGs. The DLS are 2-4 Slylena Mk2 or combination of Sylena Mk1 and C310 DLS.
