Jun 27 2007
On Tuesday, June 26, the contract between the Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement and ARGE F125 for building four Class 125 frigates was signed. ARGE F125 consists of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, a company of ThyssenKrupp Technologies, leading ARGE F125 and Fr. Lürssen Werft.
On ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems' side, the locations Hamburg (Blohm + Voss) and Emden (Nordseewerke) will be involved in the design, construction and delivery of the frigates. Delivery of the first unit is scheduled for 2014.
Main tasks of the Class 125 frigates will be the leading and conducting of stabilization operations within the framework of multi-national operations and the defence against asymmetric threats.
With the Class 125 frigates, the German naval shipbuilding industry will once again prove its internationally outstanding competence in the integration of state-of-the-art technologies. The new type of frigates, for instance, will allow a deployment period of up to two years in the operation area. Compared to previous vessels, the regular crew on the Class 125 frigate is halved. Two rotating crews will be exchanged every four months. Thus, frequent intensive transfer trips between Wilhelmshaven and the area of operation will no longer be required.
The F 125 project will both strengthen the defence technology abilities in Germany and secure the basic utilization of the yards of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. Alongside the shipyards that are directly involved, about 800 subcontractors will also be involved in the project through ARGE F125. About 80% of the overall value will be produced in Germany.