The construction program for the new F126 frigates for the German Navy is facing some issues which will move the delivery of the first ship from 2028 to presumably 2030.
The construction of these units has been at the center of a heated and long-standing debate in Germany since the contract worth nearly 6 billion euros was awarded to Danish Damen Group.
Only Damen’s initiative to consortium the German shipyards has allowed the withdrawal of protests and the start of construction activities almost five years after the start of the tender.
The construction of the frigates is in fact organised in three different shipyards: Wolgast, Kiel, and finally Hamburg. The bow is produced at the Peene-Werft shipyards in Wolgast, while in Kiel the stern and also the union of the two parts takes place. Subsequently, the ship is towed to Hamburg for fitting out and sea trials.
The first unit of ‘_Niedersachsen_’ (F227) was laid down in December 2023, and according to the official schedule, it should have been delivered to the German Navy in July 2028.
According to the German press, delivery is now expected no earlier than 2030 but it is not certain whether the delay will also apply to the remaining five ships.
At the basis of these delays would be some problems identified in coordination between the Dutch design team and the German shipyards.
Furthermore, the amount of work to be done in Germany, equivalent to 70% of the contract, according to a German newspaper, would have puzzled the Dutch.
The authority that handles armaments procurement, based in Koblenz, is aware that Damen has reported a delay in the delivery of the first ship, but that the Dutch shipyard is working to draw up a new industrial plan together with the subcontractors involved.
This delay will result in extending the operational life of the Brandenburg-class frigates launched in four instances between 1992 and 1993.
In the meantime, the German Navy is also working on the construction of the new F127 frigates by tkMS, with the contract expected to be signed with BAAINBw during 2025.
