Type 128 class F128 MEKO A-200 DEU Frigate German Navy

German Navy - Deutsche Marine
Type 128 (MEKO A-200 DEU) class Frigate
Fregatte 128 / F128

07/26

Ships:

4 + 4 units planned

Specifications:

Builder: ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), Kiel, Germany (main contractor)

Displacement: 3,950 tonnes
Length: 121 meters (397 feet)
Beam: 16.4 meters (53 ft 10 in)
Draft: 4.4 meters (14 ft 5 in)
Speed: 29+ knots (54+ km/h), max.
Range: 6,500 NMI (12,000 km)
Complement: 125 (core crew) + 49 embarked personnel

Propulsion:
CODAG WARP (Combined diesel and gas - Water jet And Refined Propeller)
1 x Gas Turbine (20MW)
2 x PDE Engines (2 x 6 MW)
2 shafts / 2 low-noise controllable pitch propellers
1 centerline waterjet (pump-jet)

Armament:

1 x Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (16? cells)
for
?? Missiles

1 x Leonardo 76/62 DP gun

? x Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM)

? x Mk.49 missile launching system for RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM)

Rheinmetall SeaSnake 30 Remote Weapon System (RWS)

Torpedo tubes for MU90 Torpedoes

Aviation:
flight deck & hangar for NH90 MRFH Sea Tiger / NH90 NTH Sea Lion / UMS Skeldar V-200 UAV

Boats:
2 x 8 m RHIB from side Launch and Recovery System (LARS)

Systems:
SAAB 9LV Combat Management System (CMS)
S-band radar
Fire Control System (FCS)
Electro-Optical/Infrared System (EO/IR)
Hull Sonar ?
Towed Array Sonar System (TASS)

Originally, the F126 Niedersachsen class frigate (MKS180) was designed as a successor to the Brandenburg class frigate (F123), and was intended to be used as a multi-role frigate with a focus on the anti-submarine warfare mission. In June 2020, the BAAINBw signed a contract with Damen for the design and the construction of four F126 ships. The contract was later extended to six ships, and with an entry in service in 2028.

The German government and the German parliament prepared an interim solution that came into fruition in February 2026, when the BAAINBw signed a preliminary agreement with TKMS for the preparation of the development of the project. In February 2026, the objective is to deliver the first frigate in 2029. As part of the agreement, there is a budget of €50 million that cover initial procurement and work on the project, but no production contract was signed.

In March 2026, the Budget Committee of the Bundestag approved a budget increased to €240 million for the acquisition of four F128 MEKO A-200 DEU.

In June 2026, the Bundeswehr officially announced that the F126 Niedersachsen class frigate program was cancelled and that four F128 would be acquired, with a potential for four additional F128 to be purchased.

images

| seaforces.org | German Navy start page |