.jpg) German Navy frigateBaden-Württemberg in Wilhelmshaven, 2017 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | |
| Operators |  German Navy |
| Preceded by | Sachsen class |
| Succeeded by | F126 |
| Cost | ca.‹See Tfd›€775 million (2007) (equivalent to€959.81 million in 2021)[1] per ship |
| Built | 2011–2022 |
| In commission | 2019–present |
| Planned | 4 |
| Active | 4 |
| General characteristics (Note that the final design may differ) | |
| Type | Frigate |
| Displacement | 7,200 t (7,100long tons) |
| Length | 149.52 m (490 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 18.80 m (61 ft 8 in) |
| Draft | 5.40 m (17 ft 9 in) |
| Installed power | 43,000 shp (32,000 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 20knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) on diesel only, 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph) max. |
| Range | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | |
| Capacity | Space for two 6.1 m (20 ft 0 in)containers |
| Complement | 190 (standard crew: 110) |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 ×NH-90 helicopters |
TheF125Baden-Württemberg-class frigates are a series offrigates of theGerman Navy, which were designed and constructed by ARGE F125, ajoint-venture ofThyssen-Krupp andLürssen. TheBaden-Württemberg class is the heaviestdisplacement of any class of frigates worldwide. They replaced the F122Bremen class.[4] They are primarily designed for stabilization, crisis management, conflict prevention, and international intervention operations,asymmetric threat control at sea and support of special forces.[5] Despite the ship's substantial size and weight, the ship carries novertical launching system (VLS), medium or long-rangesurface-to-air missile, oranti-submarinetorpedo. Lack of firepower makes the ship unsuitable for major naval battle.[6][7]
In contrast to theBremen class, which were built withCold War-era scenarios in mind, theBaden-Württemberg-class frigates will have much enhanced land-attack capabilities. This will better suit the frigates in possible futurepeacekeeping andpeacemaking missions. For such reasons, the frigates will also mountnon-lethal weapons.[citation needed]
Major design goals are reduced radar, infrared and acoustic signatures (stealth technology), something that was introduced to theGerman Navy with theBrandenburg-class frigates and was further developed with theSachsen-class frigates andBraunschweig-classcorvettes.[citation needed]
Other important requirements are long maintenance periods: It should be possible to deployBaden-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, acombined diesel-electric and gas arrangement has been chosen for the machinery. This allows the substitution of large and powerfuldiesel engines for propulsion and sets of smallerdiesel 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 thetwo 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 largerpyramidaldeckhouses. The aerials of theCassidian TRS-4Dactive electronically scanned arrayradar 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 billioneuros. In April 2007, a contract withFinmeccanica was signed for delivery ofOtobreda127 mm (5 in) Vulcano main guns as well as remote-controlled light gun turrets for theBaden-Württemberg class.[8] The initially considered 155 mm (6 in)MONARC gun, as well as the navalGMLRS 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 GermanType 212 submarines.[citation needed]
TheBaden-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.[9]
The lead ship –Baden-Württemberg – was initially delivered with several problems. These included a persistent 1.3° list to starboard[10] 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.[11] Furthermore, there were also problems with the frigate's operations room from where the highly automated ship will be controlled.[12] As a result, the German defense procurement agencyBAAINBw refused tocommission 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.[13]
Baden-Württemberg was eventually accepted by the BAAINBw on 30 April 2019 and commissioned in June 2019, over two years later than originally planned.[14]
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.[15] In 2024,Baden-Württemberg was selected to undertake an around the world deployment, accompanied by the support shipFrankfurt am Main.[16]
| Pennant number | Name[17] | Builder | Laid down | Launched[18] | Commissioned[18] | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F222 | Baden-Württemberg | ARGE F125 | 2 November 2011[19] | 12 December 2013[20] | 17 June 2019[21] | In active service |
| F223 | Nordrhein-Westfalen | 24 October 2012[22] | 16 April 2015[23][24] | 10 June 2020 | In active service | |
| F224 | Sachsen-Anhalt | 4 June 2014[25] | 4 March 2016[26] | 17 May 2021 | In active service | |
| F225 | Rheinland-Pfalz | 29 January 2015[27] | 24 May 2017[28] | 13 July 2022 | In active service[29][15] |
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