CAIRO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's third German-made submarine Type 209/1400 arrived in the Alexandria Naval Base to join the fleet of the Egyptian naval forces on Tuesday, the Egyptian military said.

Led by an Egyptian crew, Submarine S43 sailed for 20 days from Germany's Kiel to Egypt's port city Alexandria, covering a distance of 7,800 kilometers, Egyptian military spokesman Tamer al-Refai said in a statement.

The submarine was already handed over by the German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems to the Egyptian navy at a ceremony held in Kiel on April 9.

S43 is the third of four submarines that Egypt ordered from Germany in 2011 and 2014. The first submarine, S41, was delivered in December 2016, and the second, S42, in August 2017.

Through the four-submarine deal, Egypt seeks "to enhance its defense capabilities and combat efficiency, achieve maritime security, and protect Egyptian coasts and the economic interests between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea," Refai said.

He stressed that the deal "reflects the depth of the ties of cooperation between the naval forces of Egypt and Germany" and represents an unprecedented shift for the Egyptian navy.

S43 is among the most advanced types of attack submarines in the world, for it has the ability of launching anti-ship missiles, planting naval mines and targeting coastal land positions, according to Refai.

The new submarine, which can sail for a distance of 11,000 nautical miles, can also play a key role in accompanying and protecting aircraft carriers. Enditem

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