Egypt's navy celebrated on Tuesday the launch of its fourth 209/1400 mod class submarine, the armed forces announced.

According to the statement, the new S44 submarine is the fourth type 209/1400 sub manufactured by German ThyssenKrupp to be acquired by the Egyptian navy, and will enter service soon.

Egypt received the first submarine, S41, in December 2016; the second, S42, in August 2017’ and the third, S43, in April of this year.

Addressing the launching ceremony, naval commander Ahmed Khaled said that Egypt has highly skilled cadres who are capable of using the latest techniques in the fields of operation and maintenance.

He said that the new submarine is part of a military strategy aimed at overcoming challenges in the region and maintaining full control over the Egyptian coasts in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.