Germany’s Budget Committee decided on 8 October to procure four additional MEKO A-200 DEU frigates from TKMS. It brings the total order to eight vessels. The first MEKO frigates were ordered after the German Bundestag cancelled the F126 order with Damen.
With the four frigates already on order, the programme has entered the implementation phase. This is the largest surface vessel contract in TKMS‘ history. The first frigate will be delivered to the German Navy at the end of 2029, as planned. According to current plans, the remaining units will follow in rapid succession.
TKMS welcomes expansion of the order and states that early investments in the MEKO A-200 DEU has laid the groundwork for rapid series production. Oliver Burkhard, CEO of TKMS: ‘Now we can swiftly continue series production and thereby make an important contribution to closing as quickly as possible an impending capability gap in the German Navy.’
Also read: Damen seeks EUR 4.7 billion over cancelled F126 project
Series production at German shipyards
The approval of the contractually agreed option and the associated expansion to a total of eight MEKO A-200 DEU-class frigates also lay the groundwork for long-term, sustainable series production at German shipyards. The resulting planning certainty enables the industry to reliably align capacities and supply chains with long-term demand, thereby ensuring that the delivery deadlines required by the German Navy are met.
The four additional frigates can build directly on the established structures, processes, and supply chains of the ongoing programme. This allows production to continue without fundamental changes and ensures its long-term sustainability.
Also read: Germany ready to order four MEKO frigates with TKMS
Replacement of F126
The German Ministry of Defence cancelled the earlier F126 project because of significant delays, cost overruns and what it described as unforeseeable risks. Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) had initially been appointed as the main contractor for four such frigates. The order was extended to six in June 2024. An assessment of whether transferring the main contractor role to Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL), part of Rheinmetall, could save the programme was also negative. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius subsequently decided to end the F126 project in June.
Subsequently, four MEKO frigates were ordered with TKMS. TKMS states it is counting on broad participation from the German maritime industry. It is also examining how capacities at shipyards and supplier companies that have become available due to the end of the F126 programme can be meaningfully integrated.
Picture: The MEKO A-200 DEU frigates are to strengthen German Navy capabilities, particularly in anti-submarine warfare (image TKMS).
Also read: Germany scraps F126 frigate programme
