United Arab Emirates Navy Receives The First Gowind 2500 Class Bani Yas Corvette
The United Arab Emirates Navy has received the first Gowind 2500 class Bani Yas (P 110) corvette from Naval Group, France’s leading shipbuilding company. The delivery ceremony was attended by an official delegation from the United Arab Emirates led by Naval Group CEO Pierre Eric Pommellet and UAE Naval Forces Commander Sheikh Saeed bin Hamdan al Nahyan at the company’s shipyard in Lorient.
Bani Yas is the first of two Gowind 2500 corvettes to be built under a contract signed in 2019 between Naval Group and the United Arab Emirates. Bani Yas, whose construction began in 2020 and was launched in December 2021, will arrive in the United Arab Emirates by December. The second ship in the project, Al Emarat (P 111), was laid down in 2021 and launched on May 13, 2022. The ship, which will soon begin sea trials, is scheduled to be delivered to the United Arab Emirates Navy in 2024.
Regarding the development, Naval Group CEO Pierre Eric Pommellet said, “This day marks a symbolic milestone: the delivery of Bani Yas Gowind Combat corvette, first unit of this program. Bani Yas and Al Emarat Gowind Combat corvettes are made to be the best answer to the UAE Naval Forces operational requirements. This program symbolizes our joint commitment to deliver the best and is for sure the first step in a strong cooperation and longterm strategic partnership with the UAE.”
The Gowind 2500 class Bani Yas and Al Emarat multi-purpose corvettes, built in compliance with the UAE Navy’s operational requirements, are designed to conduct naval operations such as surveillance, surface and submarine warfare, protection, and so on. Furthermore, these ships can provide presence against smuggling and piracy, maritime surveillance, and humanitarian assistance. The corvettes have a length of 102 meters, a width of 16 meters and a displacement of 2800 tons. The ships can cruise for 21 days without resupply and can reach a maximum speed of 25.5 knots thanks to a combined diesel/electric or diesel engine (CODLOD) hybrid propulsion system. The ships, which have a crew capacity of 95 personnel, also include two inflatable boats and a helipad for the use of helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The weapon systems on the Gowind-2500 Class corvettes include one Oto Melara 76/62mm naval gun, two 20mm remote-controlled weapon systems, sixteen MICA VL air defense missiles, eight anti-ship missiles, two triple torpedo launchers, and the RIM-116 RAM system. Aside from the main weapon systems, the corvettes have an innovative Panoramic Sensor and Intelligence Module (PSIM) integrated mast, which includes all sensor systems such as radars, electro optics, electronic warfare suite, communication antennas, ship weather systems, and so on.