MEKO A-200 frigate Al Aziz joins Egyptian Navy in Alexandria.

According to a tweet published by the Egyptian MoD on November 2, 2022, the arrival of the MEKO A-200 frigate Al-Aziz at the Alexandria base marks its entry into the Egyptian Navy.
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Egyptian MEKO A-200 frigate Al Aziz. (Picture source: Egyptian MoD)

Workhorses of the sea, the MEKO® A-200 Frigate, follows the famous MEKO® 200 series general purpose frigates from the thyssenkrupp stable. A fighting ship capable of full 4-dimensional warfare (AAW, ASW and ASuW, BCW), the MEKO® A-200 Frigate is also designed for sustained operations across the full spectrum of general missions and tasks: patrol and interdiction, support of special force operations, SAR and humanitarian operations.

She is a perfect example of the innovative propulsion, stealth and survivability design, robust sea-keeping, and all-weather boat and helicopter operability that characterizes frigates from Marine Systems.

The frigate features the revolutionary CODAG-WARP (Water jet and Refined Propellers) propulsion system: two CPP propeller shafts driven by cross-connectable diesel engines plus a center-line gas turbine-driven water jet, combining the power of each drive in the water without the need of a combining gearbox. This arrangement allows for extremely quiet acoustic signatures, a high degree of propulsion redundancy and damage survivability.

The propulsion arrangement also provides, in the diesel-only mode, an extremely economic solution, whereby one engine can drive both shafts for a ship’s speed of 18 knots. This means that the ship will spend most of its life on a single diesel engine, bringing a significant reduction in through-life propulsion costs.

Perfectly illustrating MEKO® Configuration Modularity, the two sub-classes of the A-200 (A-200 SAN pictured opposite, and A-200 AN shown below) have nearly identical ship platforms, but very different combat systems from different suppliers, according to the choices selected by the User Navies in terms of the flexible choice allowed customers by the MEKO® technology.

The MEKO® A-200 Frigate has outstanding sea-keeping and tactical mobility. The fast mono-hull features a forefoot skeg for greatly reduced yawing and directional stability in a seaway.

The >16 m beam and active fin stabilizers provide platform stability such that safe helicopter and boat operations can be conducted in sea state 6. A covered fo’c’sle and high freeboard provide for additional buoyancy and reduced deck wettnesses and slamming, allowing high-speed transit in heavy seas.

With a tactical diameter of less than four ship lengths and a stopping distance from full speed using the reversing water jet (crash-stop manoeuvre) of less that two ship lengths, the MEKO® A-200 Frigate outperforms all frigates in the same tonnage class.

The MEKO® A-200 Frigate has greatly reduced radar, IR, acoustic and magnetic signatures to hide and stay hidden: The X-Form® shell design; extensive bulwark screening of exposed equipment; flush-closing shell doors, and RCSnet screening of all shell openings, give the vessel very low radar cross section.

Without a funnel, and with all combustion engines exhaust horizontally on or below the waterline with active cooling, plus a shell cooling system, this ship has exceptionally low IR signatures.

The small, light propellers and the aft-sighting of propulsion machinery allowed by CODAG-WARP combined with a forefoot skeg make for exceptionally quiet signatures. The ship is fitted with a highly efficient active tri-axial degaussing system to reduce its magnetic signature.