21:10 GMT, October 27, 2011 Pascagoula, Miss. | VT Halter Marine, Inc. (VT Halter Marine), a subsidiary of VT Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), held a dedication ceremony for the first of four Fast Missile Craft (FMC) built for the Egyptian Navy at its Pascagoula shipyard. The keel for this first FMC was authenticated on April 7, 2010.

The vessel, S. Ezzat, is named after Admiral Soliman Ezzat, Commander in Chief of the Egyptian Navy from 1953 to 1967. Admiral Soliman Ezzat is known as the founder of the modern Egyptian Navy. Under his command, he expanded, modernized, and upgraded the Egyptian Navy with more capable destroyers, missile boats, submarines and mine warfare platforms. Under his leadership, the Egyptian Naval Forces officer and enlisted personnel underwent continuous training and joint operational missions with forces outside of Egypt to enhance their capabilities.

The FMC is designed to perform coastal patrol, surveillance, interdiction, surface strike and naval battle group support. The vessels will allow the Republic of Egypt to maintain security of its coastal regions for the country and its friendly countries, while denying access to the areas by any potential adversaries. Each FMC will be approximately 62m in length and will incorporate ship signature control technology. High speed and maneuverability are two of the ship's primary assets to fulfill these roles. The vessels will also incorporate numerous combat system assets and electronic sensors, equipping the vessels with capabilities in anti-aircraft, anti-surface and electronic warfare.