The German procurement of F127-class frigates, which is currently in the pipeline, is getting serious, as it is constantly changing towards the “heavier”. So while the initial goal was to build 5 ships, this has now changed to 8, while as Hartpunkt reports, the vessels of around 10,000 tons of displacement will carry 96 vertical missile launch cells!
So the F127s reach the number of cells of the American Arleigh Burke destroyers, which is also a “measure of comparison” for the Western world. The increase in cells is impressive, as up until now 64 were planned, so the capacity to carry missiles (of each category) is increasing significantly.
The similarity of the F127 – which is now in the study phase, with the aim of entering service from 2034 – with the American model is not limited to the number of cells, but also to the adoption of American main systems: Raytheon’s AN/SPY-6 radar, Lockheed Martin Canada’s CS330 combat system, obviously American missiles, types ESSM, SM3, SM6, RAM close air defense systems, and so on.
