Type F127 frigate

Last updated
Class overview
Builders
OperatorsNaval Ensign of Germany.svg  German Navy
Preceded by Sachsen class
In serviceFrom 2033 / 2034
Planned5 planned with 1 option
General characteristics
Type Frigate/destroyer
Displacement10,000 tonnes
Ice classICE 1C/E1
Aircraft carried2 × NH90 Sea Tiger (ASW / ASuW)
Aviation facilities Aircraft hangar for 2 helicopters and UAV

The Type F127 frigate is an ongoing procurement programme of the German Navy for the timely replacement of the previous three frigates of the Type F124 Sachsen class. [1]

Contents

History

Originally, a cooperation with the Royal Netherlands Navy was planned under the programme Future Air Defender, with a letter of intent for a common ship design, radars, command systems and deployment systems signed on the 17 December 2020. The joint cooperation was later on cancelled as the requirement and timelines of both navies diverged. [1]

The programme, is now known under the working name of "Projekt Next Generation Frigate – Air Defence" (NGFrig-AD) was initiated by the BMVg in 2018 and is currently in the analysis phase 2 under the leadership of the BAAINBw. A selection decision by the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr is scheduled for the beginning of 2025. [1]

The plans currently call for six ships which are to arrive from 2033/34, which requires a construction contract and the procurement of the relevant operational systems by 2026 at the latest. [1]

On September 2, 2024, the Federal Cartel Office approved the formation of a joint venture between ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH (tkMS) and NVL  [ de ]. The project company intends to jointly apply for the design and construction of 5 ships (+1 option) of the F127. The BAAINBw (Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support) intends to award the contract in mid-2025. [2]

The ship design is expected to be the MEKO A-400AMD. [2] [3]

Requirements

The main mission of the F127 will be to protect an operational group or area against threats from the air (Air-and-Missile-Defence (AMD)), including in the future against ballistic missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles. The ships of the F127 class are intended to be able to integrate into the effective network of ground and air-based air defence and also make a contribution to territorial missile defence for homeland security. [1]

In addition to their primary task of air defense, the frigates will also be capable of conducting surface and underwater naval warfare, long-range combat against land targets  and operating in cyber and information space. [1]

Ship design

Preliminary expectations

The design of the ship will be determined primarily by the weapon systems and missile launch systems and the extensive sensor technology. In terms of size and capabilities, the F127 will be based on the Arleigh Burke class (FLT III).

Dimensions

In terms of dimensions, it will likely reach 10,000 tonnes. [2]

Systems

The combat system is expected to be the American AEGIS system, likely American SPY-6 or SPY-7 radars, and the VLS Mk.41 launch system with 64 cells (two groups of 32). [2]

Weapons

Air-defence: [2]

Anti-ship missiles: [2]

Canons: [2]

Lasers:

Aircraft

The hangar carries enough space for: [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German Navy</span> Maritime warfare branch of Germanys military

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.

The Royal Netherlands Navy is the maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was founded on 8 January 1488, making it the third-oldest naval force in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MEKO</span> Family of warships

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RIM-162 ESSM</span> Medium-range surface-to-air missile

The RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) is a development of the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile used to protect ships from attacking missiles and aircraft. ESSM is designed to counter supersonic maneuvering anti-ship missiles. ESSM also has the ability to be "quad-packed" in the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System, allowing up to four ESSMs to be carried in a single cell.

<i>Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin</i>-class destroyer Class of South Korean destroyers

Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyers are multipurpose destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship of this class, ROKS Chungmugong Yi Sunsin, was launched in May 2002 and commissioned in December 2003. Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyers were the second class of ships to be produced in the Republic of Korea Navy's destroyer mass-production program named Korean Destroyer eXperimental, which paved the way for the navy to become a blue-water navy. Six ships were launched by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in four years.

<i>Sachsen</i>-class frigate German air-defense frigates

The F124 Sachsen class is the German Navy's latest class of air-defense frigates. The design of the hull is based on that of the F123 Brandenburg class but with enhanced stealth features designed to deceive an opponent's radar and acoustic sensors. The class incorporates an advanced multifunction radar APAR and a SMART-L long-range radar which is purported to be capable of detecting stealth aircraft and stealth missiles.

<i>Baden-Württemberg</i>-class frigate Series of frigates of the German Navy

The F125 Baden-Württemberg-class frigates are a series of frigates of the German Navy, which were designed and constructed by ARGE F125, a joint-venture of Thyssen-Krupp and Lürssen. The Baden-Württemberg class is the heaviest displacement of any class of frigates worldwide. They replaced the F122 Bremen class. They are primarily designed for no and low intensity maritime stabilization operations, where they are supposed to provide sea-to-land tactical fire support, asymmetric threat control at sea and support of special forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RIM-66 Standard</span> US medium range surface-to-air missile

The RIM-66 Standard MR (SM-1MR/SM-2MR) is a medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM), with a secondary role as an anti-ship missile, developed for the United States Navy (USN). A member of the Standard Missile family of weapons, the SM-1 was developed as a replacement for the RIM-2 Terrier and RIM-24 Tartar that were deployed in the 1950s on a variety of USN ships. The RIM-67 Standard (SM-1ER/SM-2ER) is an extended range version of this missile with a solid rocket booster stage.

The TF-2000-class destroyer is a projected anti-air warfare guided-missile destroyer currently undergoing development by the Turkish Naval Institute. The class will provide survivability in the presence of aerial threat and also support mission functions such as command, control, and communications, reconnaissance, early warning, surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and electronic warfare. Moreover, once in service, the TF-2000s are slated to be an integral part of Türkiye's expeditionary strike groups centered around the TCG Anadolu LHD and the country's future aircraft carrier(s). The TCG Anadolu is to be followed up by the TCG Trakya light aircraft carrier and President Erdoğan has also hinted at the construction of a larger aircraft carrier that is to be designed in cooperation with Spain. These capital vessels require destroyer escorts to defend them against enemy aircraft, ships and submarines; in other words, the perfect role for the TF-2000s once these new designs are slated for operational service by 2038. On 5 December 2007, Defence Industry Executive Committee approved plans to build six ships of this class. In January 2013, it was announced that Turkey was planning to acquire a total of 8 TF-2000 destroyers, which was confirmed at the International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) 2021. With the realization of the project, it is intended to improve the anti-air warfare (AAW) capabilities of the Turkish Navy.

MEKO 200 Widely exported German frigate design

The MEKO 200 is a frigate design by the Blohm + Voss shipyard of Germany, as part of the MEKO family of warships.

<i>Barbaros</i>-class frigate Turkish Navy warships

The Barbaros-class frigates are among the most modern frigates in the Turkish Navy. They were designed in Germany and are part of the MEKO group of modular warships, in this case the MEKO 200 design. Two ships were built in Germany and two in Turkey with German assistance. They are larger than the previous Yavuz-class frigates and are also faster due to using CODOG machinery rather than pure diesels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark 41 vertical launching system</span> Missile launching system

The Mark 41 vertical launching system is a shipborne missile canister launching system which provides a rapid-fire launch capability against hostile threats. The vertical launching system (VLS) concept was derived from work on the Aegis Combat System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TRML</span> Air defense radar system

The TRML is a family of air defense radars first developed by Telefunken and currently produced by Hensoldt. It is a development of the earlier TRMS.

<i>Hunter</i>-class frigate Frigates for the Royal Australian Navy

The Hunter-class frigate is an under construction class of six heavy frigates / destroyers for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to replace the Anzac class.

Future Air Defender Ship design project of the Royal Netherlands Navy and German Navy

The Future Air Defender (FuAD) was a joint program from the Dutch and German navies to find a common replacement for both the De Zeven Provinciën and the Sachsen-class frigate. The joint German-Dutch programme was cancelled in November 2023.

Super Sonic Strike Missile (3SM) Tyrfing is a supersonic anti-ship missile under development by the Norwegian firm Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (KDA).

ENS <i>Al-Qadeer</i> MEKO 200 frigate of the Egyptian Navy

ENS Al-Qadeer is an Al-Aziz-class frigates of the Egyptian Navy.

ENS Al-Jabbar is an Al-Aziz-class frigates of the Egyptian Navy. Unlike other ships in the class, Al-Jabbar was domestically built in Egypt at the Alexandria Shipyard.

The Enhanced Lethality Surface Combatant Review was a 2024 independent review of the surface fleet of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), that was authorised as a result of the larger Defence Strategic Review. It considered and recommended actions the RAN needed to take to solidify Australia's war-fighting capabilities on the maritime front. The review aims to counteract China and 'Chinese coercion' in the region. It was announced by Deputy-Prime Minister Richard Marles and Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy on 20 February 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 https://www.bmvg.de/resource/blob/5820310/c30ac0f6b6437838720d9d7e1298f6a8/19-ruestungsbericht-teil-1-data.pdf
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luck, Alex (2024-11-10). "TKMS Shows MEKO A-400 AMD Missile Frigate At Euronaval 2024". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  3. "Neue Fregatten zur Luftverteidigung | thyssenkrupp Marine Systems". www.thyssenkrupp-marinesystems.com (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  4. 1 2 "Iris-T SLM soll in VLS für Marineschiffe integriert werden" (in German). 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  5. "Supersonic Strike Missile "Tyrfing" – BMVg investiert rund 650 Millionen Euro in Entwicklung eines neuen Seezielflugkörpers" (in German). 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  6. "Deutsche Marine erhält neues Waffensystem" (in German). 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  7. "German Navy NH90 Sea Tiger performs maiden flight". www.airbus.com. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  8. "Maiden Flight of German Navy NH90 Sea Tiger". Joint Forces News. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2024-03-22.