R&S to supply German Sachsen ships with Kora EW and communications systems

Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) will supply Kora 40 communications and radar electronic support measures for German Navy F124 Sachsen-class frigates following approval of the deal by the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag.

R&S Kora 40 units will be installed on three frigates and three land systems. The system has been designed to detect, identify, track and analyse both radar and communications signals.

It was also designed to provide the ship’s command with a comprehensive situational awareness picture, covering the entire electromagnetic spectrum with high sensitivity and long range, in near real time.

The contract has followed an agreement in 2021 for R&S to supply Kora.

The Polish Navy also recently procured R&S Kora for its Miecznik-class frigates.

The three ships were commissioned between 2003 and 2006 and Shephard Defence Insight noted the ships were undergoing a major upgrade to take them out to 2035.

Aside from Kora 40, in August 2021, Germany's Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) awarded Hensoldt a US$258.5 million (€220 million) contract to modernise the Sachsen-class frigates.

Hensoldt, working with Israel Aerospace Industries, will supply TRS-4D/LR ROT AESA wide-range radars, replacing the in-service SMART-L radars.

In late-2020, Germany and the Netherlands signed an agreement to work jointly on a next-generation frigate intended to replace the German Navy's Sachsen-class frigates.

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

F124 Frigate Replacement Programme (F127) [Germany]

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

Sachsen Class (F124)