US approves sale of chassis and boats for assembly in Egypt

A Temsah-3 on display at the SOFEX show held in Jordan in November 2022. (Janes/Jeremy Binnie)

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the approval of two Egyptian requests on 10 January: one covering chassis and engines for light tactical vehicles and the other for additional 28 m coastal patrol craft.

It said the REV1-B Rolling Chassis, which is used for the Humvee series, and 205 hp turbocharged engines will be supplied by AM General. It did not say how many Egypt has requested but estimated the proposed sale to be worth USD200 million.

Likewise, the notification covering kits for 28 m patrol craft from Swiftships did not say how many had been requested, only stating that the proposed sale is estimated to be worth USD129 million, which includes rigid-hull inflatable boats, infrared systems, computer packages, and contractor services.

Egypt has already assembled numerous 28 m coastal patrol craft, with Swiftships saying in January 2023 that it would have delivered close to 50 by 2025.

The most recent contract announced by the US Department of Defense in April 2022 covered six kits, as well as rigid-hull inflatable boats, infrared systems, and computers for USD22 million.