Image of the German Navy’s Rheinland-Pfalz (F225), a Baden-Württemberg class (F125 class) frigate. The same MEKO hull to be used for the next generation air defence frigate, F127. Credit: Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.

Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and NVL Group – two major players in the German naval industry – have signed an agreement to cooperate in the construction of Germany’s next-generation F127 frigates.

A new joint venture was also established for this purpose, which is to be led by the larger shareholder Thyssenkrupp. The German Federal Cartel Office approved the planned cooperation the day before the announcement.

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Signed by Oliver Burkhard, chief exexcutive of Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, and Friedrich Lürssen, shareholder of the NVL Group, the collaboration was first announced on the opening day of the SMM 2024 trade fair in Hamburg on 3 September 2024.

The German Navy’s three Sachsen-class frigates – the elder Type F124 ships – will reach the end of their service lifetime in the next few years.

Their aim is to build the MEKO A-400 AMD – a ship concept from Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems that was specially developed to meet the requirements of a German Navy air defence frigate.

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Construction to begin next year

The new joint venture has set the construction of the first new German frigate to begin as early as 2025.

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As things stand at present, the ships will be built by Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in Wismar and manufacturing capabilities from NVL in Hamburg and Wolgast, among other sites.

The German Navy wants the first ship to be ready for deployment in 2034; the prerequisite for this goal is that orders are received promptly.

“The sole purpose of establishing this joint venture is to implement the future frigate programme,” Burkhard commented. “This is all because commissioning the construction of the new F127 is urgently required in terms of security policy. The serious geopolitical situation demands the fastest possible realisation and closing of a capability gap. The F127 must not be put on the back burner!”

To gain a sense of this rapid progression it is worth noting that Damen, a Dutch shipbuilder, cut steel on the first of the F126 ships in December 2023.

MEKO A-400 design

The MEKO A-400 AMD extends existing capability profiles with an improved energy supply for future weapon and command systems.

In addition, the new type of hull offers more space for the installation of missiles and a higher cruising speed for multinational task forces. This means that the new frigate type can be equipped with a combination of novel defence missiles to combat threats from the air and engage several targets simultaneously at previously unreachable distances using long-range missiles.

At the same time, the frigate can also be used against sea and land targets as well as for submarine hunting. Equipping the ship with systems that meet Nato requirements will also ensure integration and cooperation in Nato’s transatlantic strategy with this ship design.