{"id":51247,"date":"2025-11-21T17:37:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T16:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/?p=51247"},"modified":"2025-11-21T17:38:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T16:38:06","slug":"decision-on-frigate-126-slowly-emerging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/entscheidung-fregatte-126-zeichnet-sich-langsam-ab\/","title":{"rendered":"Decision on frigate 126 slowly emerging"},"content":{"rendered":"

Parliamentary pressure increases - Budget Committee creates room for manoeuvre: Bundestag prepares a possible F126 alternative solution with 7.8 billion. MEKO A-200 as a bridge to the delayed Lower Saxony class?<\/b><\/p>\n

The Budget Committee of the German Bundestag has made a far-reaching decision in its review meeting on the 2026 federal budget: If necessary, the Federal Ministry of Defence will be able to use around 7.8 billion euros in the coming budget years to tackle the procurement of an alternative platform outside of the funding line for the F126 frigate, according to a recent Bundestag statement. The coalition parliamentary groups had submitted amendments to this effect, with which new titles were included in the individual budget and in the special fund.<\/p>\n

Ministry and parliament still in harmony?<\/b><\/b><\/h4>\n

While the BMVg under Minister Boris Pistorius still seems to be sticking to a continuation of the F126 programme under German leadership - now with NVL in charge instead of Damen - the Bundestag is increasingly signalling impatience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the frigate project - including the possible procurement of an alternative platform - an initial \u20ac724.7 million is to flow from the special fund in 2026, with \u20ac878.2 million earmarked as a commitment authorisation for 2027. From 2028, funding will come from the core budget: 6.2 billion euros up to and including 2033.<\/p>\n

Parliament is thus opening up alternative solutions so that the navy does not have to wait another few years for the necessary platforms to arrive. However, before the funds can be utilised, the Budget Committee must lift a block placed on the special fund. At the same time, the appropriations for the F126 procurement remain blocked - a signal that Parliament's confidence in the original project may have suffered.<\/p>\n

Due diligence negotiations are currently underway in Vlissingen between Damen, the BMVg and NVL regarding the transfer of project responsibility. This review could take up to six months. The BMVg has a considerable interest in the continued operation of the F126: around 1.8 billion euros have already been invested and the first sections are at the participating German shipyards. Cancelling the project could pose a considerable political risk for the ministry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MEKO A200: The alternative<\/b><\/b><\/h4>\n

The MEKO A-200 from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is being considered as an alternative platform - a proven design with impressive delivery performance, as demonstrated by the MEKO A-200EN \"Al Aziz\" class project for Egypt: At the end of 2018, Cairo signed a contract with TKMS for four MEKO A-200 frigates for around 2 billion euros - around 500 million euros each. The first ship of this simplified export variant was handed over after just 38 months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Egyptian
Egyptian frigate \"Al Qadeer\", MEKO A-200EN. Photo: Michael Nitz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

If the order is placed promptly and the basic design is adhered to in a disciplined manner, the first ship for the German Navy could be available as early as 2030 - provided the procurement is not delayed by subsequent capability optimisations. In any case, much sooner than the F126, which is being continued under German leadership as a complex multi-purpose frigate with eight units and is now costed at a good 10 billion euros.<\/p>\n

The situation at TKMS<\/b><\/h4>\n

The Kiel shipyard German Naval Yards Kiel (GNYK) - TKMS' immediate neighbour - has run into rough waters after the F126 delays meant that no payments were made for construction work that had been agreed but not called off. Talks on the takeover of GNYK by TKMS are said to be at an advanced stage. Both companies use the same shipyard site in Kiel. While TKMS specialises in submarine construction, GNYK has large dry dock and crane capacities for surface vessels. A takeover of GNYK would provide TKMS with around 400 qualified employees and the complete infrastructure - capacities that TKMS seriously needs with the expected order to build the F127 and the submarine projects that are still pending.<\/p>\n

Three scenarios - and a difficult political decision<\/b><\/b><\/h4>\n

What opportunities does the German frigate project now face?<\/p>\n

1. parallel procurement<\/strong><\/p>\n

F126 will be continued under NVL management and will arrive later (2032+); at the same time, the construction of a few MEKO frigates will be ordered from TKMS as a fast bridge solution (delivery from 2030). This saves face vis-\u00e0-vis The Hague, utilises investments made and offers the greatest increase in capacity for the navy in the long term - but also means: two training lines, two logistics concepts, double engineering commitment at the shipyards. That will be really expensive.<\/p>\n

2. continuation of the original frigate project\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

F126 will be continued under NVL management and will be delayed disproportionately; there will be no parallel procurement. This focuses all forces on one project and avoids organisational duplication - but relies on NVL actually being able to deliver, because continuing a Dutch design through a German shipyard requires a rewriting of all plans and designs in a different company philosophy. This is less of a financial risk than a technical and above all a time risk, which is weighed heavily in parliament.<\/p>\n

\"Egyptian
Egyptian frigate \"Al Qadeer\", MEKO A-200EN. Photo: Michael Nitz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. demolition of F126 and procurement of MEKO A-200 variant<\/strong><\/p>\n

The order to build several, but somewhat less capable MEKO frigates, but with an earlier delivery date, means rapid growth well within the financial framework, perhaps even with room for something \"unmanned\". The German Navy's key submarine-hunting capability, which is intended to keep the Atlantic sea lanes free for American reinforcements in the event of an alliance crisis, will lose out somewhat - especially at a time of growing submarine threat from the Russian Federation. However, it also means the total loss of the 1.8 billion euros already spent, damage to the reputation of a reliable partner, a strain on German-Dutch relations, plus legal disputes, claims for damages and arbitration proceedings lasting for years. An extremely difficult decision that requires considerable political courage. A decision between the positive factors of a technology-finance timeline with a negative assessment of a reduction in capability - and a huge shambles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Time is of the essence<\/b><\/h4>\n

The budget decision is a clear signal: the German Navy needs ships - and it needs them soon, whether through an F126 reset, MEKO alternative or a combination of both approaches. The upcoming negotiations in Vlissingen will show whether a reset under German leadership is possible or whether the Damen contract will be cancelled.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Parlamentarischer Druck nimmt zu \u2013 Haushaltsausschuss schafft Spielraum: Bundestag bereitet mit\u00a07,8 Milliarden eine m\u00f6gliche F126-Alternativl\u00f6sung vor. MEKO A-200 als Br\u00fccke zur verz\u00f6gerten Niedersachsen-Klasse? Der Haushaltsausschuss des Deutschen Bundestages hat in seiner Bereinigungssitzung zum Bundeshaushalt 2026 einen weitreichenden Beschluss gefasst: Das Bundesverteidigungsministerium kann in den kommenden Haushaltsjahren mit rund 7,8 Milliarden Euro erforderlichenfalls auch abseits der […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":51511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"2normal","footnotes":""},"categories":[49,486,42,50],"tags":[11185,11184,2098,1337,5477,1569,117,11187,10965,8317,11186,5989,231],"class_list":["post-51247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-schiffsbau-news","category-headlines","category-news","category-sicherheitspolitik-news","tag-bereinigung","tag-damen-schiffbau","tag-f126","tag-fregatte-126","tag-german-naval-yards-kiel","tag-gnyk","tag-haushalt","tag-haushaltsausschuss","tag-meko-a200","tag-niedersachsen-klasse","tag-projektverantwortung","tag-thyssen-krupp-marine-systems","tag-tkms"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51247"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51510,"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51247\/revisions\/51510"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}