Germany has approved the delivery of a submarine to Egypt by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). TKMS has so far delivered three Type 209/1400mod class submarines to Egypt, out of four on order.
The contract for the delivery of the submarines was signed in 2011 with an initial order of two Type 209/1400mod class submarines. In 2015, Egypt opted to take two more units with the most recent version of Type 209. The first submarine, named S41, was handed over in December 2016 and the second submarine, named S42, in August 2017. The program is planned to end with the handover of the fourth ship in 2021.
Egypt is a large customer for German military hardware, ordering 802 million euros worth of equipment in 2019.
Egypt’s arms imports tripled between 2010–14 and 2015–19, making it the world’s third-largest arms importer, with the acquisition of attack helicopters, fighter jets, naval vessels, and other hardware. The uptake can be attributed to her increasing involvement in regional security and fight against insurgents in countries like Libya and Yemen. Also, Egypt has been battling an insurgency in her Sinai Peninsula where the Islamic State was seeking to establish haven upon its defeat in Iraq and Syria.
