Erradii class frigates of the Algerian National Navy

Written by D-Mitch

El Moudamir (911), MEKO A-200AN of the Algerian National Navy

The first MEKO A-200 frigates were ordered from South Africa in 1999. The South African Navy placed an order for four multi-purpose MEKO A-200SAN which are known as the Valour class. The ships were constructed in Germany between 2001-03 and delivered unarmed to S.Africa where the weapons, sensors and combat system were integrated, a process that took 2-3 years per ship. The first vessel, SAS Amatola, was commissioned in February 2006 while the fourth and final ship, SAS Mendi, was handed over in June 2004 and commissioned in March 2007. Two MEKO A-200 AN frigates, a further development of the Valour-class design were built for Algeria by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). TKMS is a group and holding company of providers of naval vessels, surface ships and submarines. It was founded when large industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp acquired Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft on January 5, 2005.  The group consists of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel, Germany, Atlas Elektronik in Bremen, Germany and Hellenic Shipyards Co. in Skaramangas, Greece (25%). The South African frigates will be analyzed in a future article.