Germany has approved the procurement of four additional MEKO A-200 DEU frigates from Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).
The move increases Berlin’s total fleet order to eight vessels, following the government’s cancellation of the troubled F126 warship program with Dutch shipbuilder Damen.
The expanded fleet will focus primarily on anti-submarine warfare to support NATO operations in the Baltic Sea, North Sea, Atlantic, and High North.
Delivery of the first A-200 platform is scheduled for 2029, with remaining units to follow consecutively.
‘Strong Sign of Confidence’
TKMS noted that the eight-ship program marks the largest surface vessel contract in the company’s history.
Standardizing the fleet on a single hull type will also enable the German Navy to streamline crew training, sustainment, and supply chains while addressing urgent alliance requirements.
“The Budget Committee’s decision is a strong sign of confidence in us,” TKMS CEO Oliver Burkhard stated. “We made early investments in the MEKO A-200 DEU and, together with our partners, laid the groundwork for rapid series production.”
“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,” he added.
The TKMS MEKO A-200 DEU System
Germany’s incoming A-200 warship measures 121 meters (397 feet) in length and is built with a 16-meter (52-foot) beam.
It will carry up to 125 sailors, more than 40 additional troops for special tasks, and feature a hangar for up to two light helicopters and unmanned aerial systems.
The frigate is expected to be armed with lightweight torpedoes, electronic countermeasures, missiles, and naval guns.
A-200 will use a 27,000-horsepower gas-turbine engine and twin diesel engine with a collective output of 8,000 horsepower for speeds greater than 29 knots (54 kilometers/33 miles per hour) and a range of 6,500 nautical miles (12,038 kilometers/7,480 miles).
