Naval Group officially submits its Gowind class corvettes to Greece.

According to a PR published by Naval Group on December 9, 2022, the French team has submitted an offer for the corvettes program of the Hellenic Navy. Based on the sea-proven Gowind® corvette and an optimised delivery schedule, it includes a Hellenic Industry Participation plan with 30% of the program value in Greece and hundreds of jobs in Greece over the next 40 years.
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A model of the Gowind class corvette on Naval Group's booth at DEFEA 2021, Athens. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Building on Naval Group’s extensive expertise in terms of transfer of technology, the first corvette will be built in France in 3 years and the following units in Hellenic Shipyards.

The French offer for the corvettes is a comprehensive and robust package designed to ensure Greece has the best capabilities in the shortest timeframe with optimised costs and the highest level of commonalities with the FDI frigates. It includes:

 4 Gowind® corvettes with 3 built in Greece by Hellenic Shipyards and the first in 3 years.

 A secure transfer of technology for the local construction thanks to Naval Group’s unmatched expertise and track record

 30% of the contract value in Greece and hundreds of long-term jobs

 a long-term partnership with the Hellenic industry and the national defence ecosystem in the continuity of the FDI HN program to create and sustain high value jobs

 A very attractive financing proposal based on long term differed payments

A secure transfer of technology and optimised delivery schedule

Naval Group boasts unmatched experience in terms of successful in-country construction of both surface ships and submarines. Thanks to its decades of expertise, the Group has developed a robust and reliable process to ensure a successful and secure transfer of technology to its partners.

This unique expertise is key to ensuring the program will maximize the involvement of the Hellenic companies and the success of “Made in Greece” while guaranteeing to the Hellenic Navy the quality, on-time delivery and performances of the ships. In that perspective, Naval Group is the best choice for ensuring a risk-free production in Greece by the Hellenic industry.

Construction of the 1st Gowind® corvette in France will ensure operation by Greece in the shortest timeframe with a flag transfer only 3 years after the coming into force of the contract.

The following units will be built in Greece by Hellenic Shipyards with the first corvette built in Greece delivered only one year after the first unit and then a pace of 1 Gowind® every 12 months.

The training of Hellenic partners during the production of the first ship will secure the transfer of technology to allow the construction of the corvettes in Greece. This will ensure long-term autonomy for the Hellenic Navy and significant economic benefits for the Hellenic naval and defence industries and for the supply chain in Greece.

A robust Hellenic Industry Participation plan to sustain hundreds of jobs

Naval Group is committed to guaranteeing the success of the corvettes program as well as to support the Hellenic sovereignty by supporting the involvement of the Hellenic industrial ecosystem.

With the Hellenic Industry Participation (HIP) plan for the Gowind® HN, Naval Group will ensure economic benefits in Greece of at least 30% of the program value by:

- Maximizing Hellenic industrial activity through the involvement of the Hellenic industry in the production in Greece of the GWD corvettes starting with the 2nd ship of the series.

- Developing the autonomy on the Follow-On Support (FOS) for the sovereign use of the corvettes

- Extending the industrial participation of Hellenic industrial partners integrated in Naval Group’s supply chain to other programs carried out by Naval Group (domestic and international).

- Structuring and increasing the R&D cooperation with Hellenic partners, in particular for European projects

- Developing innovations in the naval/maritime domains

The Gowind® HN program will contribute to energising and strengthening a dense network of industrial and R&D partnerships, enabling the Greek Industry to address the Hellenic naval forces modernization plan while creating and sustaining jobs and economic benefits for the country over decades to come.

The construction of the three corvettes in Greece thanks to Naval Group’s transfer of technology will sustain more than 1,200 jobs in our partner shipyard while production of equipment in Greece will sustain more than 150 for the construction but also repairs. As the ships will be in service for more than 40 years, the follow-on support will also offer opportunities for up to 500 highly qualified jobs.

Beyond the corvettes program, Naval Group’s Hellenic Industry Participation plan (HIP) will develop new capacities in the Greek industry, sustaining highly qualified jobs and generating longterm economic spin-offs in Greece thanks to a large transfer of production.

Indeed, the French team has designed a very ambitious industrial cooperation plan that will contribute to the revitalization of a profitable naval industry while significantly increasing Greece's autonomy and sovereignty.

It will reinforce the international recognition of the excellence of the Greek naval industry while providing the best high-end “Made in Greece” warships to defend the country’s citizens and interests.

Beyond the build of the Gowind® corvettes, the local ecosystem will also gradually acquire the know-how and benefit from the most modern and high-end maintenance tools needed to efficiently maintain the FDI HN frigates as well as the Gowind® HN corvettes throughout their operational life cycle.

In addition to ensuring the Hellenic Navy’s sovereignty, this long-term approach will develop the sustainability of the Greek companies by providing them with recurring activities over the ship life-cycle, source of growth potential, employment and benefit over the next decades.

More than 55 Hellenic companies are qualified or in process of joining Naval Group supply chain. All qualified Greek companies integrate the French industrial team’ supply chains and have the possibility to participate to other future international competitions, thus increasing their capabilities as well as their potential economic benefit and visibility on the worldwide naval market.

About the GOWIND® HN

Gowind® is a powerful surface combatant equipped with NATO interoperable and combatproven systems, designed and built by Naval Group, the French naval leader dedicated to military ships, provider of 1st rank naval vessels for the French and allied navies.

 Gowind® has been selected by four navies, and is currently in service in the Egyptian navy fleet.

 The platform was designed by Naval Group’s best architects, and incorporates requirements and feedbacks ensuring its reliability and its capacity to navigate in all seas around the world.

 Gowind® offers a comprehensive set of state-of-the-art NATO standard combat-proven systems for ASW, ASuW and AAW.

 First Of Class was delivered to the Egyptian Navy only 38 months after the order. The design and the industrial processes are fully secured and Alexandria Shipyards have successfully produced 3 other Gowind® corvettes in Egypt.

 Naval Group has been a designer and manufacturer of warships for more than 400 years. Due to this valuable background, associated to the operational expertise of the French Navy, Naval Group masters all the technologies required to propose a compact and powerful surface combatant well-adapted for the Aegean and equipped to face all
kinds of threats.

Gowind® integrates sophisticated and latest generation sensors and weapons able to face all type of conventional and asymmetric threats in blue and shallow waters.

Sensors (sonars, EW systems, fire control system) and weapons (guns, surface attack missiles, torpedoes, RAM system) as main significant examples, are common with or from the same family of Belharra/FDI systems.

Gowind® is designed to safely operate, launch and recover the same class of heavyweight helicopter as Belh@rra/FDI. The vessel is currently and successfully operated in the various environments of the Mediterranean Sea, which has many common environment characteristics with the Aegean Sea, and of the Red Sea.

Gowind® integrates the same combat-proven and NATO-standard technologies as the French Navy frigates operating in cold and warm waters, open oceans with long swells as well as in closer areas with short swells.

Above water, Gowind® integrates through her Setis® combat management system a 3D S-band surveillance radar with proven performance against small targets as well as all types of aircraft, combined with passive sensors providing immediate warnings and countermeasures.

A vertically launched RF and IR missile system provides Gowind® with an extended air defence capability, at medium up to very short range.

Underwater, Gowind® integrates a consistent anti-submarine (ASW) capability with a reputed sonar suite, capable of covering the full range of ASW tasks in blue and shallow waters.

Sea proven with more than 300 sea trials, including live firings, and over 1,000 units produced, the MU90 lightweight torpedo guarantees full operational maturity and reliability.

Due to its unmatched engagement distance and its unique very shallow water capability, it is the deterrent weapon to protect your maritime approaches and your naval forces deployments.

The MU90 will keep any modern submarine at a safe distance, and the torpedo defence system fitted on board is the only solution capable of protecting surface vessels against the most advanced and previous-generation torpedoes.