Egyptian Navy
The Egyptian Navy (Egyptian Arabic: القوات البحرية المصرية, romanized: El-Quwwāt el-Bahareya el-Masriyya, lit. 'Egyptian Navy Forces', Coptic: Ⲛⲉⲛⲉϫⲏⲟⲩⲙ̀ⲃⲉⲧⲥ ⲛ̀ⲕⲏⲙⲓ), also known as the Egyptian Naval Force, is the maritime branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces. It is the largest navy in the Middle East as well as Africa, and is the twelfth largest (by the number of vessels) navy in the world. The navy protects more than 2,000 kilometers of coastline of the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, defense of approaches to the Suez Canal, and it also supports for army operations. The majority of the modern Egyptian Navy was created with the help of the Soviet Union in the 1960s. The navy received ships in the 1980s from China and Western sources. In 1989, the Egyptian Navy had 18,000 personnel as well as 2,000 personnel in the Coast Guard. The navy received ships from the US in 1990. US shipbuilder Swiftships has built around 30 boats for the Egyptian Navy including mine hunters, survey vessels, and both steel and aluminium patrol boats.
| Egyptian Navy | |
|---|---|
| القوات البحرية المصرية (Egyptian Arabic) Ⲛⲉⲛⲉϫⲏⲟⲩⲙ̀ⲃⲉⲧⲥ ⲛ̀ⲕⲏⲙⲓ (Coptic) | |
Badge of the Egyptian Navy | |
| Founded | 1800 |
| Country | Egypt |
| Type | Navy |
| Size | 30,000 active personnel 20,000 reserve personnel 50,000 total personnel 320 vessels |
| Part of | Egyptian Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Alexandria, Egypt |
| Motto(s) | Knowledge, Honor, Sacrifice |
| Colours | Blue, red, white and black |
| March | March of the Navy |
| Anniversaries | 21 October |
| Equipment | Current fleet |
| Engagements | Wahhabi War, Greek War of Independence, Crimean War, Cretan Revolt, Anglo-Egyptian War (1882), World War II, Suez Crisis, North Yemen Civil War, Six-Day War, War of Attrition, Yom Kippur War, Gulf War, Sinai Insurgency, Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) |
| Commanders | |
| Commander of the Navy | Rear Admiral Ashraf Ibrahim Atwa |
| Chief of Staff of the Navy | Staff Rear Admiral Ehab Sobhy |
| Insignia | |
| Flag | |
| Ensign | |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Rafale, F-16 |
| Electronic warfare | Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye |
| Fighter | Rafale, F-16 |
| Helicopter | Aérospatiale Gazelle, Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite, Westland Sea King, NH90 |