Saab has received an order to deliver and integrate combat systems, sensors and composite structures for four of the German Navy’s new MEKO A-200 DEU class frigates, the company stated.
The contract was signed with the German naval defence company TKMS, which is prime contractor for the frigates, and is worth approximately SEK 8.7 billion. Saab’s deliveries will take place between 2029 and 2032. The frigates will be built in Germany, and the contract includes an option to integrate and equip additional ships.
Micael Johansson, CEO and President of Saab, was quoted in the press release as saying: “It is with great pride that we continue to build on our long and strong relationship and commitment to Germany and the Bundeswehr, while together with TKMS strengthening the German Navy. These deliveries will significantly enhance the Navy’s anti-air, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities.”
According to Saab, the order covers composite superstructures, its 9LV combat system including the fire control system and combat management system, and a suite of sensors. These include the long-range Sea Giraffe 4A Fixed Face surveillance radar, the lightweight Sea Giraffe 1X multi-mission surveillance radar, and passive sensors.
The MEKO A-200 is a frigate design from TKMS, part of the long-running MEKO family of modular warships that has been exported to a number of navies. The German variant forms part of Germany’s naval expansion as the country rebuilds its armed forces following the increase in defence spending announced after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Remember…. “Saab don’t just build cars”
Oh hang on 🤔
I would not describe the Meko- A200 order as an expansion.. rather a desperate act to replace 4 30 year old 5000 ton ASW frigates, with 4 off the shelf 4000 ton ASW frigates, be because their main new 10,000 ton super gold plated ASW frigate programme got screwed up by Damen.
Where they are expanding is their AAW frigate ( actually destroyer.. but the Germans call everything a frigate) the Meko- A400 design which will be an nasty 10,000 ton all dancing destroyer and they are going for 8 to replace 3 F124 which were very average AAW frigates..
So the German surface navy of the future will be
8 very good AAW destroyers ( that they will insist are 10,000 ton AAW frigate’s)
4 very small and Average ASW frigates ( 4000 tons )
4 very large 7500 ton patrol frigates ( nice ships but poor armaments with only 2 RAM launchers as AAW missile defence)
10 very nasty little 1800 ton ASuW corvettes.
Is it not eight of these ‘small and average’ anti-submarine frigates? For a total of 20 surface escorts?
Four ordered and funded with an option ambition for another 4….up to 8 is I believe the description.
I will wait and see.. you have to remember Germany burnt 2.6 billion on the F126 before cancelling it.. so its capital expenditure programme on its ASW frigate was out of control before it ordered the the new frigates… remember it was not long ago the RN was planning to have 5 T32….
If that’s the method we’re working with, surely it’s then:
5 F127
4 F128
4 F125
for the surface fleet, given that the additional three F127 are still ‘intended’, but not expected.
The current German Surface fleet is
4 F123’s
3 F124
4 F125
5 K130
For a total of 16 combatants.
The low end future force will be
5 F127’s
4 F128
4 F125
10 K130
for a total of 23
More realistically Germany will probably go for
8 F127
4 F125
8 F128
10 K130
for a total of 30 surface combatants.
However you slice it the German surface fleet is definitely expanding, the only question is by how much.
The big issue right now is that the F123’s without the B upgrade are not in a great place. With the German Navy having bought new Helicopters they no longer have a hangar that can support an ASW Helicopter (NH90 is bigger than the Sea Lynx), which means that even if a F123 locates a Sub without a dipping Sonar, it’ll have to charge it down to 11km to engage with it’s onboard Mk46’s now, or hand off prosectution to a F125 or 124. Not the end of the world if F128 really is in service by 2029, but still not ideal.
You’re off here on a few things.
1) The F-128 is a minimum of 4 ships, likley to be up to 8. Germany is pumping money into it’s fleet and will almost certainly increase it’s ASW force.
2) The F-125’s are being refitted with NSM and 32 IRIS-T VLS tubes. Given their large mission bays and double hangars if the German Navy gets some off-board sensor drones the F-125’s might just end up being very potent Sub Hunters in the future. They also, and this is ignored a lot, have a surprisingly large gun armament (well they where designed to deal with Somali Pirates so maybe not that surprising) of 2x 27mm Autocannons and 7 12mm’s Machine guns, largely in RWS’s.
3) The offset of 2.6 billion that the F126 ate is largely being written off by cancelling the F123B upgrade, and the F124 radar upgrade. So the capital expenditure will still be there for F128.
4) The F-127 isn’t “actually a Destroyer”. You are making the mistake of thinking that UK definitions are a world-wide standard. They aren’t. In German nomenclature a “Frigate” is a ship designed to focus on one domain. So you have AAW Frigates, ASW Frigates, or ASuW Frigates. A Destroyer is a ship that is designed to do all domains.
I was just curious what this had to do with the UK…
Feel free not to read it if you have a drama.
Bit unfair to just blame Damen. Damen did the design, but those frigates were being built in Germany by german companies.
It wasn’t so much a design issue but rather an issue of communications and project management between Damen and these german contractors.
To be fair it’s hard in any project to be project manager if you can’t get rid of less than ideal contractors that are imposed by the client.
Ironic that these german contractors are not involved anymore and now TKMS is solely responsible … and poor Rheinmetall left on the sidelines with its brand new shipyard it just purchased.
Lot of politics and unscrupulous maneuvring going on in Germany lately to get a bite at the apple which suddenly got bigger
lastly Germany was not happy when TKMS was not selected for the dutch subs.