At the Kiel-based ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), the driving wheels are set to "full speed ahead". Even if the start to the new 2025/26 financial year looked more like a "slow ride", the forecasts now look very different. On Wednesday, 11 February 2026, Oliver Burkhard, as CEO of the TKMS-media call and backed this up with hard facts:

TKMS order situation tailwind in 2026

The submarine division will ensure full capacity utilisation over the coming years. Norway has just ordered two more U212CD boats. Together with the six boats planned for Germany, there are now 12 boats on the order books. There are also six U214 submarines for India. In addition to the up to 12 submarines for Canada TKMS Hanwha Ocean (Korea) is still in the race.

But surface shipbuilding in particular is also giving the Kiel shipyard full wind in its sails. A few days ago, a preliminary contract was signed for the construction of the MEKO A-200 DEU for the German Navy as an interim solution for the delayed F126. Based on this preliminary contract, the "firing start" has already taken place, the preparatory work for the hulls has begun and the first ship is scheduled for delivery in 2029. 

Construction and delivery of the four Tamandaré-class frigates for the Brazilian Navy are on schedule at the thyssenkrupp shipyard in Itajaí, Brazil, and initial sea trials have been successful. The order books of the TKMS-subsidiary ATLAS Elektronik are full, including record orders for torpedoes and minehunting sonars. The total volume of orders in the Group currently stands at 18.7 billion euros.

The CEO's optimism is also supported by a look beyond: TMKS is the only bidder for the eight German F127 air defence frigates with the MEKO A-400 AMD. The recently acquired shipyard in Wismar will soon become an integral part of the parent company in Kiel and increase capacities. 

Already last year TKMS - Germany's largest naval shipbuilder - has submitted a non-binding offer to purchase the Kiel shipyard German Naval Yards (GNYK). Both companies share the shipyard site in Kiel and emerged from the long-established HDW (Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG). The takeover would reunite the two companies, whose roots go back to 1838. Kiel Ahoy !