The French team has submitted on December 1st, 2022 a very attractive 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.

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
• 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
• 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\
• Very attractive financing proposal based on long term differed payment

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 first 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.

Furthermore, 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.

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 long-term 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.

Gowind® is a powerful surface combatant equipped with NATO-interoperable and combat proven systems, designed and built by Naval Group. Gowind® has been selected by four navies, and is currently in service in the Egyptian navy fleet.

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 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 the previous generation torpedoes.

An international player in naval defence and heir to French naval know-how, Naval Group develops innovative solutions to meet the needs of navies. Present throughout the entire life cycle of the ships, the group designs, builds, integrates and maintains submarines and surface ships, as well as their systems and equipment, through to dismantling. It also provides services for shipyards and naval bases. A high-tech company, it builds on its exceptional expertise, its unique design and production resources and its ability to set up strategic partnerships and successful transfers of technology.

With operations on five continents, the group has a turnover of 4.1 billion euros and employs 16,028 people (full-time equivalents / December 2021 data).