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Baden-Württemberg-class frigate

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German Navy frigate Baden-Württemberg in Wilhelmshaven, 2017
Class overview
Builders
Operators German Navy
Preceded bySachsen class, Bremen class
Succeeded byF126
Costca. €775 million (2007) per ship
Built2011–2022
In commission2019–present
Planned4
Active4
General characteristics (Note that the final design may differ)
TypeFrigate
Displacement7,200 t (7,100 long tons)
Length149.52 m (490 ft 7 in)
Beam18.80 m (61 ft 8 in)
Draft5.40 m (17 ft 9 in)
Installed power43,000 shp (32,000 kW)
Propulsion
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) on diesel only, 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph) max.
Range4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi)
Boats & landing
craft carried
  • Submarine ROVs
  • 4 × 11 m (36 ft) RHIB, capable of more than 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)
CapacitySpace for two 6.1 m (20 ft 0 in) containers
Complement190 (standard crew: 110)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × Hensoldt TRS-4D AESA radar[1]
  • 2(?) × navigation radars
  • IFF
  • diver and swimmer detection sonar (no anti-submarine sonar)
  • Laser warning
  • 1 × KORA-18 Combined RADAR and COMMS ESM from GEDIS
  • 2 × MSP 600 video and infrared target tracker
  • 1 × SIMONE 360 degree infrared monitoring
  • Link 11, Link 16, Link 22 communications systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × NH-90 helicopters

The F125 Baden-Württemberg-class frigates are a series of frigates of the German Navy, which were designed and constructed by ARGE F125, a joint-venture of Thyssen-Krupp and Lürssen. The Baden-Württemberg class is the heaviest displacement of any class of frigates worldwide. They replaced the F122 Bremen class.[3][4] They are primarily designed for no and low intensity maritime stabilization operations, where they are supposed to provide sea-to-land tactical fire support, asymmetric threat control at sea and support of special forces.[5]

Design

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Background

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In contrast to the Bremen class, which were built with Cold War-era scenarios in mind, the Baden-Württemberg-class frigates will have much enhanced land-attack capabilities. This will better suit the frigates in possible future peacekeeping and peacemaking missions. For such reasons, the frigates will also mount non-lethal weapons.

General characteristics

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Major design goals are reduced radar, infrared and acoustic signatures (stealth technology), something that was introduced to the German Navy with the Brandenburg-class frigates and was further developed with the Sachsen-class frigates and Braunschweig-class corvettes.

Other important requirements are long maintenance periods: It should be possible to deploy Baden-Württemberg-class frigates for up to two years away from homeports with an average sea operation time of more than 5,000 hours per year (nearly 60%) which includes operation under tropical conditions. For this reason, a combined diesel-electric and gas arrangement has been chosen for the machinery. This allows the substitution of large and powerful diesel engines for propulsion and sets of smaller diesel generators for electric power generation with a pool of med-sized diesel generators, reducing the number of different engines.

To enhance survivability of the frigates, important systems are laid out in the two island principle, i.e. present at least twice at different places within the ship. This is also visible in the superstructures, which are split in two larger pyramidal deckhouses. The aerials of the Cassidian TRS-4D active electronically scanned array radar will be distributed over the two pyramids. This will ensure that the ship remains operational in case of severe damage, such as accidents or enemy action. It will also allow the frigates to keep station if needed when something breaks down and no replacement is available.

An initial batch of four frigates was ordered by the German Navy on 26 June 2007. The initial batch of four ships costs around 2.2 billion euros. In April 2007, a contract with Finmeccanica was signed for delivery of Otobreda 127 mm (5 in) Vulcano main guns as well as remote-controlled light gun turrets for the Baden-Württemberg class.[6] The initially considered 155 mm (6 in) MONARC gun, as well as the naval GMLRS rocket launcher, were dropped due to problems with the navalization of these land-based systems. The deal with Oto Melara had become opportune, because Germany still had countertrade obligations towards Italy, as Italy had purchased two German Type 212 submarines.

The Baden-Württemberg-class frigates are equipped with one 127mm main gun, two 27mm auto cannons and seven 12.7mm machine guns for defence against air and surface targets. The vessels are also armed with non-lethal weapons, such as water cannons and searchlights for non-provocative deterrence and defence. Beyond capabilities that might be provided by the ship's helicopter(s), sensors for anti-submarine warfare have not been integrated into the platform while the ship's air defence capability is limited to relatively short-range point defence systems.[7]

Problems

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The lead ship – Baden-Württemberg – was initially delivered with several problems. These included a persistent 1.3° list to starboard[8] and the fact that the ship was dramatically overweight which would limit its performance, increase its cost of operation, and most importantly, adversely affect the German Navy's ability to add future upgrades to the somewhat sparsely outfitted vessel.[9] Furthermore, there were also problems with the frigate's operations room from where the highly automated ship will be controlled.[10] As a result, the German defense procurement agency BAAINBw refused to commission the vessel, making it the first time in German naval history that the BAAINBw has refused to commission a ship and returned it to its builder.[11]

Baden-Württemberg was eventually accepted by the BAAINBw on 30 April 2019 and commissioned in June 2019, over two years later than originally planned.[12]

While all vessels in the class had been delivered by January 2022, full operational capability for the first ship in the class, Baden-Württemberg, was still only expected in mid-2023.[13] In 2024, Baden-Württemberg was selected to undertake an around the world deployment, accompanied by the support ship Frankfurt am Main.[14]

Ships in the class

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Pennant number Name[15] Builder Laid down Launched[16] Commissioned[16] Status
F222 Baden-Württemberg ARGE F125 2 November 2011[17] 12 December 2013[18] 17 June 2019[19] In active service
F223 Nordrhein-Westfalen 24 October 2012[20] 16 April 2015[21][22] 10 June 2020 In active service
F224 Sachsen-Anhalt 4 June 2014[23] 4 March 2016[24] 17 May 2021 In active service
F225 Rheinland-Pfalz 29 January 2015[25] 24 May 2017[26] 13 July 2022 In active service[27][13]
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See also

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Similar ships

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Citations

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  1. ^ "The frigates of the Baden-Württemberg class".
  2. ^ "OTO Vulcano 155". Leonardo Company. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Making Do With Less". aviationweek.com.[dead link‍]
  4. ^ "First of TKMS built F-125 class Frigate "Baden-Württemberg" Christened for the German Navy". navyrecognition.com. 12 December 2013. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013.
  5. ^ "German Navy Confirms Its Supersized Frigate Will Avoid The Red Sea".
  6. ^ "FInmeccanica wins 80 mln eur German frigate orders". abcmoney.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  7. ^ Rogoway, Tyler (13 December 2017). "The Curious Case Of Germany's Massive New But Relatively Toothless Type 125 "Frigates"". The Warzone. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  8. ^ "German Navy's new frigates have a listing problem: Report". Naval Today. 14 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  9. ^ "The German Navy Decided To Return Their Bloated New Frigate To The Ship Store This Christmas". The Drive. 23 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  10. ^ Wilkes, William. "German Engineering Yields New Warship That Isn't Fit for Sea". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018 – via msn.com.
  11. ^ "Germany returns lead F125 frigate to builder, report". Naval Today. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  12. ^ "Germany finally accepts delivery of lead F125 frigate FGS Baden-Württemberg". Naval Today. 30 April 2019. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  13. ^ a b "TKMS Delivers 4th And Final F125 Frigate "Rheinland-Pfalz"". Naval News. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  14. ^ Luck, Alex (5 February 2024). "German Navy Chief Talks Indo-Pacific Deployment, Round The World-Sail". Naval News. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Neue Fregatte der Marine mit traditionsreichem Namen" (in German). Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  16. ^ a b Becker, Tim, "Class F125 Frigate – First Interim Result", European Security and Defence (in German), no. 1/2011, Mittler Report Verlag, archived from the original (online bei docstoc) on 16 February 2015, retrieved 31 January 2015
  17. ^ "Fregatte Baden-Württemberg - Kiellegung für einen Meilenstein" (in German). Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  18. ^ "German Navy frigate "Baden-Württemberg" christened" (Press release). ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. 12 December 2013.
  19. ^ "thyssenkrupp Marine Systems > Newsroom > Press releases > F125 "Baden-Württemberg": Germany's most modern frigate entered service". Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (Press release). Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  20. ^ "Kiellegung der zweiten Fregatte Klasse 125 in Lemwerder" (in German). MarineForum. 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  21. ^ "Second 125 class frigate christened in Hamburg" (Press release). ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  22. ^ "Zweites Schiff der neuen Fregattenklasse 125 getauft" (Press release) (in German). Germany Navy. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  23. ^ Marcel Schaffhausen (5 June 2014). "Neue Fregatte "Sachsen-Anhalt" auf Kiel gelegt". www.marine.de (in German). Bundeswehr. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  24. ^ "Third frigate of Class 125 for the German Navy christened in Hamburg" (Press release). ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  25. ^ Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine (29 January 2015). "Letzte Kiellegung der Fregattenklasse F 125" (in German). Bundeswehr. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  26. ^ "Germany Navy frigate "Rheinland-Pfalz" christened in Hamburg" (Press release). ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  27. ^ "German Navy commissions the fourth F125 frigate Rheinland Pfalz". 13 July 2022.

References

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