According to a press release, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems has been awarded a major contract worth 800 million euros for the comprehensive modernisation of six Type 212A submarines for the German Navy.

The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has signed one of the largest service contracts in the company's history with tkMS. The official signing of the contract took place today in Koblenz. As general contractor, tkMS will provide comprehensive modernisation and support services for the six German Type 212A submarines. The contract has a total volume of more than 800 million euros and a term of ten years.

The contract provides for the modernisation of central systems on board the boats, in particular the navigation system and the command and weapon deployment system on the four older boats in the first batch. The aim is to secure the technological superiority of the German submarines in the long term in order to directly tackle future challenges in national and alliance defence.

"This important service contract also strengthens our established and trusting cooperation with the German Navy in the area of maintenance," emphasises Oliver Burkhard, CEO of tkMS. "As a maritime powerhouse, we will utilise the full range of services offered by tkMS and contribute to the high operational availability and performance of German submarines with our many years of expertise."

Reliable partner of the German Navy

tkMS is a central industrial partner at the side of the German Navy. The company offers a comprehensive range of logistical support services, from maintenance and repair to modernisation and product-specific material logistics, thus making an important long-term contribution to the technical readiness of the German submarine fleet. As a general contractor in submarine construction, tkMS pools the innovative strength of numerous small and medium-sized companies and thus also makes a significant contribution to industrial value creation in Germany.

tkMS is one of the world's leading suppliers of conventional submarines. The latest submarine orders include four more 212CD submarines for Germany and two more 218SG submarines for Singapore. In May 2025, tkMS' order book was at a record level of around 18 billion euros and will ensure production capacity utilisation and employment into the 2040s. The service contract that has now been concluded also contributes to the further increase in the order book and continues the generally positive market situation.

That's a good thing! Submarines in "pretty dry cloths", as they like to say.