Germany to Acquire Four MEKO A-200 DEU Frigates

Germany will acquire four MEKO A-200 DEU-class frigates for anti-submarine defense, following its decision to abandon the procurement of six F126-class frigates.

On July 8, the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag approved the purchase, according to ESUT.

In addition, the committee approved a potential option to purchase four more ships of this class, to be exercised by the end of 2026.

This approval paves the way for the official signing of a contract with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) to construct the new frigates.

The first frigate, the MEKO A-200 DEU, is scheduled to be delivered to the German Navy as early as 2029. TKMS CEO Oliver Burkhard described it as “the largest order for surface ships in TKMS history” and announced plans to build the ships “very quickly due to the security situation.”

The decision to procure a different type of warship was prompted by the cancellation in late June of the order for six F126-class frigates. The German Ministry of Defense announced that it would not continue construction of this class of ships due to significant delays, rising costs, and risks associated with a change in prime contractor.

Continuing the project with a new prime contractor would have required total funding of over EUR 18 billion.

At the same time, the Ministry stated that the purchase price for the first four MEKO A-200 DEU frigates would be approximately EUR 6.3 billion. An option for four additional ships could cost approximately EUR 5.3 billion.

The government intends to use these frigates to fulfill its NATO obligations regarding anti-submarine defense as quickly as possible.

Key Technical Specifications of the MEKO 200:

Displacement: 2,419 metric tons

Length: 118 meters

Width: 14.8 meters

Draft: 4.3 meters

Maximum speed: 32 knots

Cruising range: 6,000 nautical miles

Crew: 220 personnel

Armament:

• 1 × 127-mm Mk-45 Mod 2 gun
• 3 × Phalanx close-in weapon systems
• 8 × Harpoon anti-ship missiles
• RIM-162 ESSM surface-to-air missiles
• Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles
• 324-mm torpedo tubes
• four light machine guns

Air wing: one Super Seasprite or Seahawk helicopter