Damen chooses Kongsberg Maritime as propeller supplier for German Navy F126 frigates

Kongsberg Maritime Sweden revealed on 1 September that it has received a contract from Damen Naval to supply controllable-pitch propellers and associated equipment for the four future German Navy F126 frigates.

The deal (worth an undisclosed amount) follows a June 2022 contract from Damen Naval for Renk to provide gearboxes and electric propulsion systems, as the supply chain for the F126 programme takes shape.

The F126 frigates will each include two propellers and shaft lines. ‘The propeller/shaft line system is the successful result of a close cooperation between Damen Naval, Kongsberg Maritime, HSVA test institute from Hamburg and the [German] classification society,’ Kongsberg Maritime Sweden noted in a statement.

The four F126 vessels will be delivered to the German Navy between 2028 and 2031. There is the option for two more ships after 2032 ‘with an extended scope of Kongsberg Maritime equipment’, the Swedish company added.

Kongsberg Maritime has often collaborated with Damen Naval on shipbuilding projects such as SIGMA frigates and the Royal Netherlands Navy support vessels HNLMS Karel Doorman and HNLMS Den Helder.