First F125 frigate commissioned
The first F125 Baden-Württemberg frigate built by ARGE F125 and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems was commissioned for the German Navy on 17 June.
The newly designed class F125 ships have highly complex systems and approximately 28,000 sensors. With a very high degree of automation and the ability to remain in their operational area for up to two years, it has been possible to halve the crew size in comparison to previous German frigate classes.
The vessels are designed to carry out maritime defence operations, as well as conflict prevention, crisis management and intervention, and stabilisation operations. They can defend against offshore and onshore attacks, and are equipped with anti-aircraft systems and helicopters specially equipped for submarine hunting.
The second class F125 ship, the Nordrhein-Westfalen will also be handed over the to navy this year. The third and fourth ships will follow over the coming two years.
The ARGE F125 consortium comprises Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems as the lead company and Fr Lürssen Werft in Bremen. The pre-fitted bow sections are being manufactured at the shipyards of the Lürssen Group in Bremen and Wolgast. Construction of the stern sections, the joining of the two sections and further fitting out was being carried out at Blohm+Voss Shipyards in Hamburg under the leadership of Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
-
![Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America]()
Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America
With a growing pipeline of naval modernisation programmes in South America, South Korean companies could be set to expand their presence in the region as recent contract wins highlight growing collaboration.
