Damen Naval is currently building four F126 frigates for the German Bundeswehr. The contract contains an option for two more, that the German government now plans to make use of, according to the German site Hartpunkt.de.
In June 2020, the equipment management organisation of the Bundeswehr, BAAINBw, awarded the construction contract for the four F126 frigates to Damen Naval as head contractor, together with subcontractors Blohm+Voss and Thales. It is the largest shipbuilding project in the history of the German navy.
The ships will be built entirely in Germany at shipyards in Wolgast, Kiel and Hamburg. The steelwork and pre-assembly for the stern will take place at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, part of the NVL Group. The foreship will be built in Kiel, where it will be assembled with the stern and towed by sea to Blohm+Voss in Hamburg.
Final outfitting, commissioning, testing and delivery, as well as outfitting of the onboard systems, will take place at Blohm+Voss in Hamburg. Delivery of the first ship is scheduled for 2028.
Also read: Damen Naval starts construction of German F126 frigates
Going back and forth on option to extend
In November 2022, German news magazine Der Spiegel announced that the German Minister of Defence Christine Lambrecht would not make use of the option in the contract to order two more F126 frigates due to budgetary issues.
Also read: Damen’s German F126 frigate contract will not be extended
However, Hartpunkt.de now says the option is once again on the table. The site says well-informed sources have said that the Federal Ministry of Defence is planning to bring a 25 million bill to parliament before the summer break for the two extra frigates. However, the German government will need to make haste, as the option in the contract is to expire in June of this year, according to Hartpunkt.de.
Picture by Damen Naval.
Also read: The ins and outs of building the F126 frigate for Germany
