Ludwigshafen am Rhein in 2016 | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Operators | |
Preceded by | Gepard class |
Subclasses | Sa'ar 6 class |
Cost | |
Built | 2004–present |
In commission | 2008–present |
Planned | 10 |
Building | 4 |
Completed | 6 |
Active | 5 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Corvette |
Displacement | 1,840 t (1,810 long tons) |
Length | 89.12 m (292 ft 5 in) |
Beam | 13.28 m (43 ft 7 in) |
Draft | 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) |
Propulsion | 2 MTU 20V 1163 TB 93 diesel engines producing 14.8MW, driving two controllable-pitch propellers. |
Speed | 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph) |
Range | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) [1] |
Endurance | 7 days; 21 days with tender [2] |
Complement | 65 : 1 commander, 10 officers, 16 chief petty officers, 38 enlisted |
Sensors and processing systems | |
Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried | Helicopter pad and hangar for two drones [4] [5] |
The K130 Braunschweig class (sometimes Korvette 130) is Germany's newest class of ocean-going corvettes. Five ships have replaced the Gepard-class fast attack craft of the German Navy.
In October 2016 it was announced that a second batch of five more corvettes, originally to be procured from 2022–2025 but now reportedly delayed. [6] [7] The decision was in response to NATO requirements expecting Germany to provide a total of four corvettes at the highest readiness level for littoral operations by 2018, and with only five corvettes just two can be provided. [5]
They feature reduced radar and infrared signatures ("stealth" beyond the capabilities of those of the Sachsen-class frigates), and will be equipped with two helicopter UAVs for remote scouting. The German Navy ordered a first batch of two UMS Skeldar V-200 systems for use on the Braunschweig-class corvettes, but the project was cancelled because the drones did not meet the required milestones. [8] The hangar is too small for standard helicopters, but the pad is large enough for Sea Kings, Lynx, or NH-90s, the helicopters of the German Navy. [9]
Originally, the K130 class was supposed to be armed with the naval version of the Polyphem missile, an optical fiber-guided missile with a range of 60 km (37 mi), which at the time was under development. The Polyphem program was cancelled in 2003 and instead the designers chose to equip the class with the RBS-15. While the RBS-15 has a much greater range of 250 km (160 mi), the current version mounted on the ships, Mk3, lacks the ECM-resistant video feedback of the Polyphem. The German Navy had ordered the RBS-15 Mk4 in advance, which is a development of the Mk3 with increased range —400 km (250 mi)— and a dual seeker for increased resistance to electronic countermeasures. [10] The RBS-15 Mk3 has the capability to engage land targets. [11]
Vessels of this class do not have an executive officer (German : Erster Offizier). Traditionally, in the German Navy, this was used as a rule to classify a vessel as a boat, not a ship. In a press release, the German Navy stated that these corvettes will be called ships nonetheless because of their size, armament, and endurance. [12] The commanding officer wields the same disciplinary power as a German Army company commander, not that of a battalion commander as is the case with the larger German warships such as frigates. [13] However, in size, armament, protection, and role, these corvettes resemble modern antisurface warfare light frigates, the main difference being the total absence of any antisubmarine warfare related sensors or weapons.[ citation needed ]
The contract for first five ships was awarded in December 2001 Blohm+Voss, at that time owned by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Nordseewerke, and Friedrich Lurssen Werft. The first ship, the Braunschweig, built at Blohm+Voss, was launched in April 2006 and was commissioned in April 2008. The second ship was commissioned in 2008. [14] The final three ships in Batch I were commissioned in 2013. [15] Severe problems with the gearing provided by MAAG GmbH of Winterthur, Switzerland, delayed the commissioning of the corvettes. Further issues occurred with the air-conditioning system and exposure to toxins from exhaust and missile systems. [16]
In May 2015, the Israeli government ordered four Sa'ar 6-class corvettes, whose design by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems will be loosely based on that of the Braunschweig-class corvette, [17] but with engineering changes to render the baseline platform more militarily robust. [18]
In April 2017, the German government announced a contract for a further five ships to the same group as before, but the process under which it had been awarded was challenged at the German Federal Cartel Office by the German Naval Yards and the contract was voided in May. [19] [20]
In September 2017, the German Navy commissioned the construction of five more corvettes in a consortium of North German shipyards. Lürssen will be the main contractor in the production of the vessels. The contract is worth around 2 billion euros. [20] [21] In April 2018, the German government announced the specific arrangements under which the five new K130s would be built. [22] [23]
Plans to build a third batch (i.e. ships 11–15) are under consideration, ships from the first batch (i.e. ships 1–5) would be decommissioned from 2025 and sold to a NATO ally in order to avoid modernization costs. [24]
In September 2022 it was reported that increasing difficulties in integrating the command and control systems for the Batch 2 ships had resulted in a cost growth of 401 million Euros and at least a two year delay for the completion of the lead Batch 2 vessel, and potentially cascading delays for the next two ships in the Batch 2 program as well. [6]
The ships were not built at a single shipyard; sections were constructed at different locations at the same time and later married together. The table lists the yard where the keel-laying ceremonies were held. Due to the decommissioning of the Gepard class, five additionally being constructed from 2019–2025. [25]
Pennant number | Name | Shipyard | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batch 1 | ||||||
F260 | Braunschweig | Blohm+Voss | 3 December 2004 | 19 April 2006 | 16 April 2008 | In active service |
F261 | Magdeburg | Lürssen-Werft | 19 May 2005 | 6 September 2006 | 22 September 2008 | In active service |
F262 | Erfurt | Nordseewerke | 22 September 2005 | 29 March 2007 | 28 February 2013 | In active service |
F263 | Oldenburg | Blohm + Voss | 19 January 2006 | 28 June 2007 | 21 January 2013 | In active service |
F264 | Ludwigshafen am Rhein | Lürssen-Werft | 14 April 2006 | 26 September 2007 | 21 March 2013 | In active service |
Batch 2 | ||||||
F265 | Köln | Lürssen-Werft Blohm+Voss [26] | 25 April 2019 | 30 October 2020 | Projected 2025 [6] | Sea trials [27] [28] |
F266 | Emden | 30 January 2020 | Under construction | |||
F267 | Karlsruhe | German Naval Yards Kiel [26] | 6 October 2020 [26] | Under construction | ||
F268 | Augsburg | 13 July 2021 [29] | 2026? christened in May 2024 [30] [31] | Under construction | ||
F269 | Lübeck | 15 March 2022 | 2025? (Planned) | Under construction |
The German Navy is part of the unified Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the Bundesmarine from 1956 to 1995, when Deutsche Marine became the official name with respect to the 1990 incorporation of the East German Volksmarine. It is deeply integrated into the NATO alliance. Its primary mission is protection of Germany's territorial waters and maritime infrastructure as well as sea lines of communication. Apart from this, the German Navy participates in peacekeeping operations, and renders humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It also participates in anti-piracy operations.
Blohm+Voss (B+V), also written historically as Blohm & Voss, Blohm und Voß etc., is a German shipbuilding and engineering company. Founded in Hamburg in 1877 to specialise in steel-hulled ships, its most famous product was the World War II battleship Bismarck. In the 1930s, its owners established the Hamburger Flugzeugbau aircraft manufacturer which, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, adopted the name of its parent company. Following a difficult period after the war, B+V was revived, changing ownership among several owners, as Thyssen Group and Star Capital. In 2016, it became a subsidiary of Lürssen and continues to supply both the military and civilian markets. It serves two areas – new construction of warships as NVL B.V. & Co. KG, and new construction and refitting of megayachts. The company has been in operation, building ships and other large machinery, almost continuously for 147 years.
The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm+Voss. MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "Mehrzweck-Kombination". It is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics and other equipment, aiming at ease of maintenance and cost reduction.
SAS Amatola (F145) is the first of four Valour-class frigates for the South African Navy by the European South African Corvette Consortium.
The RBS 15 is a long-range fire-and-forget surface-to-surface and air-to-surface anti-ship missile. The later version Mk. IV has the ability to attack land targets as well. The missile was developed by the Swedish company Saab Bofors Dynamics.
Lürssen is a German shipyard with headquarters in Bremen-Vegesack and shipbuilding facilities in Lemwerder, Berne and Bremen-Fähr-Lobbendorf.
The MEKO 200 is a frigate design by the Blohm + Voss shipyard of Germany, as part of the MEKO family of warships.
The Sa'ar 6-class corvette is a series of four German-made corvettes ordered for the Israeli Navy in May 2015. These are operated by Shayetet 3 flotilla.
F126 or Niedersachsen-class frigate is a planned German frigate class intended to replace the F123 Brandenburg-class frigates in the German Navy. The ships are to be the largest surface warships to join the German Navy since World War II. The first ship, Niedersachsen, is planned to be commissioned in 2028, with Saarland, Bremen, and Thüringen to follow. On 8 April 2024, Germany exercised their option and purchased an additional two frigates. The contract for two additional F126 frigates was signed on 19 June 2024.
Braunschweig(F260) is the lead ship of the Braunschweig-class corvette of the German Navy.
Magdeburg(F261) is the second ship of the Braunschweig-class corvette of the German Navy.
Erfurt(F262) is the third ship of the Braunschweig-class corvette of the German Navy.
Oldenburg(F263) is the fourth ship of the Braunschweig-class corvette of the German Navy.
Ludwigshafen am Rhein(F264) is the fifth ship of the Braunschweig-class corvette of the German Navy.
Köln(F265) is the sixth ship of the Braunschweig-class corvette of the German Navy.
Emden(F266) is the seventh ship of the Braunschweig-class corvette of the German Navy.
Karlsruhe(F267) is the eighth ship of the Braunschweig-class corvette of the German Navy.
Lübeck(F269) is the tenth ship of the Braunschweig-class corvette of the German Navy.
Augsburg is the ninth ship of the Braunschweig-class corvettes of the German Navy.