French warship arrives in Egypt

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).