WTD 71 receives new blood

SV-Küste front view. Copyright: Fassmer

The renewal of the fleet of the Navy's defence technology unit, WTD 71, is progressing. On Friday, 30 June 2023, the first of two newbuildings was christened "Kalkgrund" by the mayor of the town of Eckernförde, Iris Ploog, in Berne an der Weser. The ceremony, accompanied by the Wilhelmshaven Naval Music Corps, took place in the presence of Dr Uwe Kretschmer, Head of Maritime Research and representative of the Director of WTD 71, and the managing partner of the shipyard, Fassmer GmbH & Co. KG, Harald Fassmer.

Two for three

"Kalkgrund" and her sister ship will replace class 745 "Breitgrund" (Y866) and "Mittelgrund" (Y864) multi-purpose boats and the class 741 barrage weapon test boat "Wilhelm Pullwer" (A1406). The new "Messboote Seeversuche Küste" are two identical units in which the capabilities of their predecessors are implemented one-to-one. Although constructed to civilian standards, they meet the special requirements of defence trials.

Their profile includes securing and recovering torpedoes as part of trials, accompanying submarines during shallow water trials, deploying autonomous underwater vehicles and diving missions as part of defence-related investigations of diving equipment and devices. They are designed in such a way that the equipment can be customised to suit the task at hand. This is intended to enable a targeted configuration of the units.

The basic data of the new "multipurpose workhorses" of the Military Technical Centre 71

Blueprint for procurement?

SV-Küste - view from aft. Copyright: Fassmer

The new units of the so-called "Seeversuche Küste" (coastal sea trials) show that the procurement of naval vessels does not necessarily have to become a never-ending story. On 22 July 2021, the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) commissioned the Fassmer shipyard to manufacture and deliver two Seeversuche Küste units. Less than a year later, on 22 June 2022, the keel was laid in Klaipeda, Lithuania. Western Baltija Shipbuilding manufactured the hulls (buoyant hulls) of the two boats. Following their relocation to Berne on the Weser, the outfitting of the units began in October 2022 ("Kalkgrund") and December 2022 (construction number 2). The second boat is due to be handed over next November.

The costs of the replacement procurement were stated by the Federal Ministry of Defence in April 2020 at 46 million euros (source: Bundestag printed paper 19/18481 of 3 April 2020). In contrast, the Bundeswehr website states: "The identical boats together cost 95 million euros" (Source: Keel laying for two new SVK boats of WTD 71 (bundeswehr.de)).

The replacement of the predecessors is overdue. The "Breitgrund" and "Mittelgrund" will have 35 years of service under their belts, the "Wilhelm Pullwer" 58.

SV-Küste- view port side. Copyright: Fassmer

Defence Technology Centre of Excellence

WTD 71 is, if you like, the maritime defence technology competence centre. The topics of its "Sea Systems" area of responsibility in the "Defence Technology Research" research area of the Federal Research Plan are "researching and making available materials, technologies and technological concepts for surface ships, submarines, unmanned vehicles and underwater weapons, including the aspects of command and control, fire control, sonar technologies, signatures, stability, endurance and maritime environment and their technical and economic evaluation" (source: Departmental Research Plan of the Federal Ministry of Defence for 2019). It is therefore important as a testing centre for ships, naval weapons and maritime technology. It supports all naval armaments projects: the Class 126 frigate currently under development and construction and the Class U212CD submarine. It was involved in the introduction of the Class 125 frigate as well as the supplementary procurement of Class 130 corvettes. For example, the seaward testing of the TRS-4D radar system for the Class 125 frigates took place on the test boat "Kronsort" of WTD 71. In addition, it supports the capability customisation of frigate classes 123 and 124.

The department's nine properties are spread throughout Schleswig-Holstein. To fulfil its tasks, WTD 71 has a total of nine sea vessels. The test boats, which also include the two new measuring boats, are pooled in the "Maritime Support Centre", MUZ. These include the Class 751 research vessel "Planet".

Illustration: Bundeswehr

Copyright : Fassmer

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