Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems has come to an agreement with the procurement authorities of Germany and Norway on the general conditions for the purchase of six Type 212 CD (Common Design) submarines. The German parliament is yet to approve the deal, but if it does before summer, the first submarine could hit the water in 2029.
In 2017, Norway and Germany entered into a strategic, maritime materiel collaboration aimed at jointly acquiring identical submarines and naval missiles and the joint development of the Future Naval Strike Missile. The Norwegian Government states the submarine capacity will be essential in the work of securing Norway’s and NATO’s northern flank. At the same time, economies of scale are achieved by operating identical vessels.
Germany will acquire two new submarines, Norway four. Norway has reserved over 4.4 billion euros for the submarine project, which includes arms procurement, implementation costs and contingency provisions.
‘This order represents the most important project for Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems for the next decade and will secure employment, not only in Kiel, for years to come,’ says Dr. Rolf Wirtz, CEO of Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. ‘The contract, which has yet to be signed, contains tough conditions for us. Nevertheless, for now we are happy to take this big step towards signing the contract and thank our customers for the trust they are placing in us.’
Type 212A submarine
The design of the Type 212A submarine, which has proven itself in service with the German and Italian navies, will be further developed with the integration of advanced technologies. Construction of the first submarine could begin in 2023 if the contract is signed this summer, says Thyssenkrupp.
Delivery of the first submarine for the Norwegian Navy is expected from 2029, while delivery of the two boats for the German Navy is scheduled for 2031 and 2034.
New submarine shipbuilding hall
In preparation for the expected order, Thyssenkrupp had already initiated investments of some 250 million euros in 2019 for Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems at the Kiel location aimed at its further development into an international competence centre for conventional submarine construction. The building of a new shipbuilding hall has already begun and is clearly visible on the shipyard site.
With the progress now achieved in this Norwegian-German strategic cooperation project, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems says it is now also able to consolidate its partnership with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA), which has already existed since 2017, and expand value-adding industrial partnerships in both Norway and Germany.
Within the scope of the contractually agreed industrial cooperation obligations, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems also plans to collaborate specifically with small and medium-sized Norwegian companies.
Dutch submarines
In Germany, the result of the negotiations still has to be considered in the coming weeks together with the customers and partners in Norway and Germany in such a way that the parliamentary ratification procedure in Germany can be served on schedule. Contract signing on the 212CD project is expected this summer following parliamentary approval.
In the meantime, Thyssenkrupp is also in the race to build the future submarines of the Netherlands, next to Saab Kockums/Damen Shipyards and Naval Group/Royal IHC. The winning yard of this multi-billion contract will be announced in quarter 3 or 4 of 2022.
Also read: ‘Defence must offer Dutch suppliers prospects in submarine tender’ / DUKC: Dutch industry can play a major role in submarine replacement
