Start of construction for the Navy's largest combat ships to date

Defense industry - Start of construction for the Navy's largest combat ships to date

Construction of the German Navy's largest combat ships to date has begun. "Fully equipped armed forces are not a nice-to-have, but a must-have," said Parliamentary State Secretary Siemtje Möller (SPD) at the official start of construction of the four new F126 class frigates on Tuesday at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, Western Pomerania.

Under the leadership of Dutch shipyard Damen Shipyards, four of the more than 160-meter-long ships will initially be built in Wolgast, Kiel and Hamburg, with an option for two more. According to Damen, the first ship is to be handed over in 2028. Damen puts the order volume at more than five billion euros. According to official figures, this is the navy's most expensive shipbuilding project to date. The Peene shipyard, which belongs to the Lürssen Group, is to build the rear ships.

Möller said that after the decision to procure the ships, the signs for German security and defense policy had changed fundamentally - due to Russia's attack on Ukraine. The attack on the Nord Stream pipelines and the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, for example, showed just how important the navy is. Sea routes are important trade and transportation routes. The new frigates should help to credibly deter potential aggressors at sea and be able to defend the international order as well as its own interests and those of its partners.

The new frigates could be used flexibly as multi-purpose combat ships. At the same time, as specialists in anti-submarine warfare, they should help to close a capability gap in NATO.

Ladies on the F126 Bundeswehr on the F126

Read also:

• Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
• He also wanted to kill his cousin
• With live stream! Gawkers film dying man
• Is Saarland threatened with economic collapse?

1. Siemtje Möller, a Parliamentary State Secretary from the SPD, highlighted the importance of fully equipped armed forces during the start of construction for the four new F126 class frigates in Wolgast, a city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
2. The Peene shipyard in Wolgast, which is part of the Lürssen Group, will play a crucial role in building the rear ships for this billion-euro project.
3. Damen Shipyards, a Dutch shipyard, will lead the construction of the F126 class frigates, with the first ship scheduled for delivery in 2028.
4. The decision to procure these ships has significantly altered the signs for German security and defense policy, according to Möller, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
5. The attack on the Nord Stream pipelines and the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea have underscored the importance of the navy for guarding essential sea routes.
6. The F126 class frigates are being developed as multipurpose combat ships, capable of deterring potential aggressors at sea and defending the international order and its own interests and those of its partners.
7. These ships are also expected to help bridge a capability gap in NATO when it comes to anti-submarine warfare.
8. This shipbuilding project in Germany's Defense industry is the most expensive to date, with an estimated cost of more than five billion euros.
9. The ships will initially be built in three shipyards: Peene in Wolgast, Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein, and Hamburg.

Source: www.stern.de