On May 9, a large number of guests and representatives from politics, defense and industry gathered at the Blohm + Voss in Hamburg to mark the start of production for the first 125 Class Frigate (F125) for the German Navy. The invitation had been extended by the F125 Work Group (ARGE F125) consisting of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG - the client who has entrusted Blohm + Voss Naval GmbH with order completion - and Friedrich Lürssen Werft GmbH & Co.

At the touch of a button, Reinhard Schütte, Vice-President of the Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement, started the ultra-modern laser welding and cutting plant in Shipbuilding Hall 3. This machine will cut the individual plates. This punctual start of production marks the first milestone following the signing of the contract in June 2007. Keel-laying will take place as early as November 2011 and delivery of the first vessel is planned for 2016.

The F125 is a very special kind of vessel, since it has been carefully configured to meet both the new conditions found at an international level and the needs of the German Navy. The requirements profile ranges from national and allied defense, peace-keeping initiatives and humanitarian rescue missions to combating terrorism and the repulsion of asymmetric threats. As well as this unique mission versatility, the F125 is the first vessel in the history of the German Navy to introduce the two-complement concept, permitting intensive use in the form of a maximum mission duration of up to 24 months. In this way, the F125 is capable of delivering active crisis prevention via long-term stabilization missions. All in all, the ARGE F125 will construct four such frigates, with the last vessel scheduled for delivery in 2018.

The frigate program of the German Navy highlights the prominent position held by the German naval shipbuilding sector and its supplier industries worldwide. The sector contributes to securing core expertise in naval shipbuilding at a national level, while also safeguarding jobs throughout Germany.

Druga je stvar, što je cena bilo kog proizvoda namenjenog oružanim snagama danas takva da izaziva jezu. Ovakva fregata košta verovatno oko milijardu EUR.

Projekt razvoja nove klase koja bi trebala zamijeniti postojeće fregate iz klase F 122 (ukupno osam plovnih jedinica) započet je prije desetak godina kao logičan nastavak uspješnog razvoja domaće serije namjenskih fregata što je čine još i klase F123 i F124. Njemačka savezna uprava za vojnu tehnologiju i nabavku vojne opreme potpisala je ugovor o izgradnji četiri broda, vrijedan gotovo tri milijarde dolara, s konzorcijem ARGE F125 (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fregatte 125), koji čine njemačka brodogradilišta ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems i Friedrich Lürssen Werft. Prva iz serije od četiri fregate trebala bi se početi graditi tijekom 2008. godine. Ulazak svih brodova u operativnu uporabu planiran je u razdoblju 2013.-2016. godine.

Germany returns lead F125 frigate to builder, report



FGS Baden-Württenberg entering its future homeport of Wilhelmshaven in July, 2016. Photo: Bundeswehr/Dennis Kramer
The German defense procurement agency BAAINBw has reportedly returned FGS Baden-Württemberg, the lead ship of German Navy’s new class of F125 frigates, to the Blohm+Voss shipyard.

According to a report in the German Kieler Nachrichten, BAAINBw has requested Blohm+Voss – which is part of the ARGE F125 consortium responsible for delivering the four frigates – to repair all defects identified on the ship during trials.

This is the first time the German defense ministry is returning a ship to the shipbuilder after delivery.

Defects cited in the news report include software and hardware issues, likely the same ones which caused her to miss her commissioning deadline this summer. As Naval Today reported earlier, there are problems with the frigate’s operations room from where the highly-automated ship will be controlled.

This is a complex system as the 7000-tonne frigate (close to the displacement range of a destroyer) will require only half the crew necessary to operate the predecessor Bremen-class frigates.

FGS Baden-Württemberg has been experiencing problems ever since it was delivered to the navy for trials. In addition to hardware and software integration, the frigates have a listing problem. They list 1.3 degrees to starboard and are overweight, an issue that could possibly complicate future upgrade options.

F125 frigates are a new class of ships set to replace the eight Bremen-Class frigates currently in service with the German Navy.

They will be armed with HARPOON and RAM missiles, one 127 mm machine gun, two 27 mm and five 12.7 mm guns. The 150-meter ships will have a complement capacity of 190 persons and a maximum speed of 26 knots.

According to the German Navy, the new frigates will require only half the crew necessary to operate the Bremen-class frigates. They will be able to stay at sea for up to 24 months and thereby reduce the transit times for the crews. The crews will swap in regular intervals directly in the areas of operations which means that the ships will have to make fewer port visits.

Future FGS ‘Rheinland-Pfalz’, the fourth and final frigate in the class, was launched at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems’ Hamburg site on May 24, 2017.