The budget committee of Germany’s parliament has formally approved the acquisition of Type 127 air defence frigates for the German Navy.
The funding for the Type 127 programme received approval during the budget committee’s concluding session for 2024, which took place on 18 December, and was confirmed by the German Ministry of Defence on the same day.
The German Navy aims to procure up to six Type 127 air defence frigates to replace the three Sachsen-class (Type 124/F124) frigates. The Sachsen-class frigates were operational in the German Navy from 2004 and are expected to be decommissioned in the early 2030s.
The Type 127 air defense frigate is designed to counter hypersonic missiles and conduct precision strikes. The new fleet of five-plus-one Type 127 frigates will feature Lockheed Martin’s Aegis combat management system (CMS).
Following the approval of the Type 127 air defense frigate program by the German Federal Parliament, a design decision is anticipated in early 2025, with contract signing expected later that same year.
Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS), a German shipbuilder, has been selected to lead the development of the new Type 127 air defence frigates, with initial deliveries projected to begin in 2034.
In September 2024, German companies tkMS and NVL Group announced a partnership through a joint venture and a collaboration agreement focused on the MEKO A-400 AMD (Air and Missile Defence) air defence frigate, which has been developed by tkMS.
tkMS has stated that if its proposal for the MEKO A-400 AMD air defence frigate is selected, construction of the new F127-class frigate could potentially begin as early as 2025. The specifications for the MEKO A-400 AMD frigate include a length of 160 meters, a width of 21 meters, a draft of 5.5 meters, a full load displacement of approximately 10,000 tonnes, a maximum speed of 32 knots, an operational range of about 4,000 nautical miles, a sea endurance exceeding 30 days, and a crew complement of around 150 personnel.
