The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm+Voss. MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "Mehrzweck-Kombination" (English: multi-purpose-combination). 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.
MEKO ships include families of frigates, corvettes and ocean-going patrol boats. Construction of MEKO ships began in the late 1970s with the design and later building of Nigeria's MEKO 360 H1. Vessels of similar classes use different weapons systems. For example, for the main gun, some MEKO 200s use the Mk 45 Mod 2 gun, others use the French 100 mm naval gun or Otobreda 76 mm gun.[1]
The latest variant is the "Combat Ship for the Littorals" or MEKO CSL. It has also been called a "Littoral Combatant Ship", but it is much smaller than the American Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).[2] There was speculation that this design would be of interest to Israel,[3][4] but it was not.[5] Ultimately however, Israel opted for four modified K130 Braunschweig-class corvettes, the first of which is expected to enter service in 2019. The new variant is dubbed the Sa'ar 6-class corvette.[6] Eight extended versions of MEKO A-100 frigate vessels are planned to be supplied for the Brazilian Navy. The consortium is formed by Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Embraer Defense & Security and Atech, a subsidiary of the Embraer Group. The construction of the vessels, which are more than 100 meters long, are planned for the Oceana shipyard in Itajaí.[7]
Models
MEKO 360 NNS Aradu, along with smaller MEKO 200 frigate HMAS Anzac
The following MEKO models are known to have been built, organized by lineage and delivery dates:
MEKO 360 (1981) is the earliest MEKO ship.
MEKO 140 (1985) is designed as a companion ship of MEKO 360, developed from the Portuguese João Coutinho class corvettes.
MEKO 200 (1987) is a frigate design. It evolved into the MEKO A-200 (2001) and the larger MEKO A-300 (planned for Greece and Poland).[8]
F123 (1994), F124 (2002), and F125 (2016) are a line of MEKO frigates developed for the German Navy.
K130 (2008) is a corvette designed for the German Navy using some F124 technology.
Israeli Sa'ar 6 (2021) is a heavily modified descendant.
MEKO A-100 (2019) is a current design.
The 2012 A-100 is a single corvette developed from the A-200.[9] It is occasionally quoted as the same as the MEKO 100 RMN (2004).
The current design is a family of three sizes (all heavier and longer than the 2012 A-100): corvette, light frigate, patrol corvette.[10]
As of October2021[update], the MEKO website showcases A-200, F125, and A-100 models. The following models were once mentioned on the website, but no examples are known to have been built:
↑ "Corvettes & Light Frigates". thyssenkrupp-marinesystems.com. The Class MEKO® A-100 Patrol Corvette is the latest version of the Class 130 Corvette, which is in service with the German Navy.
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