Keel laid in Wolgast for first German F126 frigate

On 3 June 2024 Germany’s F126 frigate programme took another step with the keel-laying of the first ship, to be called Niedersachsen.

The keel was laid in Wolgast in the presence of VIPs that included Federal Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, Chief the German Navy Vice Admiral Jan C Kaack, Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Manuela Schwesig and the Minister-President of Niedersachsen, Stephan Weil.

The keel of the stern section was on display in Wolgast, where the Peene shipyard produces the stern sections of the four frigates. These meet their counterparts in the Kiel Fjord, where German Naval Yards builds the forward sections and joins them to the aft sections. The hulls will be taken over and assembled by Blohm+Voss. The long-established Hamburg-based company, which is part of the Lürssen Group, also integrates sensors and effectors.

The keel now laid in Wolgast is narrower than the final ship, as the hull widens with increasing height.

On schedule?

Following the start of construction on 5 December 2023, the keel laying of the largest shipbuilding project in the history of the German Navy will take place “on schedule”, according to a press release issued by Damen Naval. This will have to be measured against the fulfilment of the delivery dates. We are now at the beginning of the construction phase, but the real delays usually occur later, when the shipbuilders may way for the electronics and weapons technicians … or the contract lawyers. Two years and almost a month-and-a-half after the corvette Köln was christened, it has still not been commissioned.

According to currently available information, Niedersachsen is scheduled for delivery in July 2028. This means that there has already been a delay, albeit a slight one, compared to an older version of the schedule, which had explicitly mentioned a date of 16 June 2028. The delivery dates for the other three ships are now given as April 2030, April 2031 and January 2032: a delay of one month in each case.

Options for ships 5 and 6

The celebrations in Wolgast were also marked by a request from the German Federal Ministry of Finance to approve the redemption of options for ships 5 and 6 of the F126 programme, which had become known a few days earlier. The existing F126 procurement contract dated 19 June 2020, when the class was still known as the Multi-Purpose Combat Ship 180 (MKS 180), covers four ships with an option for two further vessels. The offers were subject to a commitment until 19 June 2024.

While Federal Defence Minister Boris Pistorius linked the procurement project with a step towards the Bundeswehr’s combat capability, he pleaded for six instead of just four F126 frigates. “A turning point means that we have to invest in the fleet of the future now, today, not tomorrow and not the day after tomorrow,” he said at the time. He later concluded, “With a total of six frigates of this type, we will not only be operational, but also sustainable.”

Fingers crossed – not just for the navy

According to the information received by ESD, the option for two more ships is now to be passed through the Bundestag. If the budget committee gives its approval, the contract could be signed just before the binding commitment period expires.

However, as Wirtschaftswoche editor Max Biederbeck explains, it is not quite the case that the Ministry of Defence is planning to purchase two new F126 warships without having clarified the payment. The two units were already included by the German government in the government draft for 2024, which received parliamentary approval towards the end of 2023. This is because they were budgeted as commitment appropriations directly in the defence budget (Section 14) and not in the Bundeswehr special fund. This should be used up by the end of 2027, while the financial planning time horizon for ships 5 and 6 extends to 2035.

The one thing to criticise is that no corresponding budget provision was made in the current 2025-27 financial plan. However, this has been common practice in phases of changing legislatures. The ‘ceiling-neutral’ provision of budget funds for ships 5 and 6 represents a risk in that it could have a displacement effect on other projects, for example on the combat readiness of the brigade Germany is establishing in Lithuania. However, in response to ESD enquiries during the press conference on the sidelines of the keel-laying ceremony, the minister denied this.

Speaking of budget funds, the total financial requirement of the option for the two extra ships amounts to EUR 3.181 billion, of which the contract value amounts to a rounded EUR 2.884 billion. The difference results from provisions, other services and a provision for the unforeseeable. In addition to the ships, the total sum includes an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) situational picture mission module and a custody mission module.

At the time the contract was signed, EUR 5.722581 billion was included in the federal budget for four MKS 180s (including the mission modules): an estimated value of EUR 1.43 billion per ship. This compares with EUR 1.59 billion for ships 5 and 6.

By way of explanation, the F 126 frigate’s mission fulfilment is supported by the fitting of special mission modules: a first of its kind for the German Navy. Mission modularity refers to the ability to adapt a ship for specific missions using standardised equipment and personnel packages. Special mission modules and on-board mission components are brought on board for this purpose. The operational requirements for the F126 include the following mission modules:

• ASW situational picture mission module with a towed sonar to create the underwater situational picture;
• Custody mission module for the temporary detention of people (during humanitarian missions, for example);
• A mine countermeasures (MCM) mission module;
• A diver pressure chamber mission module to support diving operations.

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