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PoliticsGerman defense minister plans to cancel F126 frigate, procure eight MEKO A-200 instead
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According to Der Spiegel, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius plans to cancel the F126 frigate project, the largest naval armament project in German history, and instead procure eight smaller MEKO A-200 frigates from TKMS. Initial cost estimates for the MEKO frigates were around €1 billion per ship, but the Defense Ministry now projects €6.3 billion per ship for the first four, with a second tranche at €5.3 billion each, totaling approximately €12.3 billion for eight ships. This compares to €12.8 billion initially quoted for six F126s, though a separate figure of €16.4 billion is mentioned, and the ministry states the total requirement for F126 could exceed €18 billion. The article highlights differences in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability: the F126 features a low-frequency towed active sonar and modular ASW mission module, while the MEKO A-200 DEU will have permanently integrated hull sonar and torpedo tubes. The cancellation decision raises questions about Bundeswehr procurement efficiency.
Source report
According to Spiegel, the costs demonstrate that even the supposedly cheaper alternative is proving significantly more expensive than originally calculated. While the unit price of the MEKO frigates was initially estimated at around one billion euros per ship based on previous exports, the Defense Ministry now assumes that each of the four ships currently targeted will cost 6.3 billion euros.
Since a second tranche is expected to be cheaper at 5.3 billion euros per ship, Berlin anticipates total costs of approximately 12 billion euros for the construction contract, plus an additional 700 million euros for further services.
Key Cost Comparisons
- MEKO A-200 (8 frigates): Approximately 12.3 billion euros
- F126 (6 frigates): Initially mentioned at 12.8 billion euros
The Spiegel article then references another, unspecified figure of 16.4 billion euros for comparison. The difference of 3.6 billion euros may arise from contrasting perspectives: Rheinmetall's offer versus the ministry's estimate cited by Spiegel.
UPDATE (10:44): In a press release from the Defense Ministry this morning, it was stated that the "total financial requirement for the F126 would rise to over 18 billion euros." Including all factors, this figure is the result of the ministry's intensive review of a potential switch of the general contractor from Damen to Rheinmetall.
Anti-Submarine Warfare: Two Very Different Platforms
The central evaluation criterion for comparing the F126 and MEKO 200 should be anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability — a capability urgently needed for a possible war scenario with Russia.
F126 Approach
- Planned use of a low-frequency towed active sonar system (LFTASS) from Atlas Elektronik
- Detected targets to be engaged with the proven lightweight torpedo UAW 90
- ASW capability supplemented by a separate, container-based mission module: "ASW Situation Picture"
- Diesel-electric CODLAD propulsion offers lower noise emissions, beneficial for detecting enemy submarines
MEKO A-200 DEU Approach
- More compact design with permanently integrated rather than modular ASW equipment
- Exact system configuration not yet finalized
- Current planning: to be equipped with a hull sonar and torpedo tubes
Source
CPM Defence Network – News: Verteidigung und WehrtechnikWestern
Part of this Story
Germany Cancels F126 Frigate Project, Orders Eight Meko-200 Frigates