A French warship bought by Egypt as part of a multi-billion-dollar defence deal arrived today near Alexandria, official media said, days after Cairo took delivery of a first batch of Rafale fighters.
The multi-mission frigate built by French naval group DCNS is Egypt's latest purchase as it seeks to boost its military capability in the face of instability in neighbouring Libya and a jihadist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula.
Egypt bought the 6,000-tonne vessel in February along with 24 Rafale fighter jets in a deal worth 5.2 billion euros (USD 5.7 billion).
The official MENA news agency said Defence Minister Sedki Sobhi attended a ceremony for the frigate at Ras el-Tine naval base, near Alexandria on Egypt's Mediterranean coast.
Cairo earlier this month received the first three Rafale fighters, ahead of the August opening of an expanded shipping route at the Suez Canal.
