The construction of the new German class of warships of the F126 program has recently begun. The class is described by the construction company as “the largest shipbuilding program in the history of the German Navy”.
These vessels will be the largest surface vessels to join the German Navy since World War II, but it remains to be seen whether Berlin will buy all 6 units its navy wants or limit itself to the 4 units dictated by the initial contract.
It was announced this week that construction of the new F126 warships has begun, with a groundbreaking ceremony taking place at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, Germany, marking the official start of the construction phase of the program.
The tender to build the first four F126 frigates was won by Danish shipbuilder Damen Naval in June 2020, which together with Blohm+Voss and Thales have taken over the programme.
According to their complex construction schedule, the ships will be produced entirely in Germany, in three different shipyards: Wolgast, Kiel and Hamburg. The first stages of construction will take place in Wolgast, then the assembly of the ship’s parts will take place in Kiel and finally in Hamburg the various systems of the vessels will be installed and the final tests. The first F126 frigate delivery to the German Navy is expected to take place in 2028.
What Will The F126 Impressive Ships Be?
Although officially considered frigates by the Germans, the warships of the F126 program will be considerably larger than typical frigates of the 21st century. Each of them will have a length of 166 meters and a displacement of up to 11 thousand tons. Thus, their dimensions are more comparable to the US Navy’s famous Arleigh Burke-class destroyers than to most current frigate classes.
The ships are expected to replace the German Navy’s current F123 Brandenburg class of frigates. Four such vessels have been in service since the mid-1950s.
The F126 frigate is a large and expensive warship, which will be able to operate in tropical and polar regions. The vessel will be able to undertake various missions, depending on the needs of the German Navy, such as anti-submarine warfare missions.
The ship is known as the Mehrzweckkampfschiff (MKS 180, or Multi-Purpose Combat Ship 180) in the German Navy.
