German navy wants stock frigates from TKMS as fallback for troubled F126 warship
COLOGNE, Germany — The German navy is slated to get four MEKO frigates from local shipyard TKMS as a backup submarine-hunting capability, as the envisioned program of record for F126 specialty ships faces delays.
Defense officials in Berlin portrayed a preliminary contract with the German shipbuilder, approved by lawmakers on Wednesday, as part of “bridge solution” that would ensure the sea service gets urgently needed anti-submarine ships beginning in late 2029, in time to meet NATO commitments.
The plan comes amid mounting questions about a batch of six F126 frigates — previously called MKS-180 — that Germany initially ordered from Dutch shipbuilder Damen in 2020 for a price tag potentially approaching $10 billion.
At the time, the contract award sparked a debate in Germany’s naval-industry circles, with critics arguing the capability was too important to outsource even to a company in the neighboring Netherlands, a close ally.
Damen said it would build the ships in Germany, aiming to have 70% of the contract value go through German vendors.
Construction of the first unit in the class of 10,550-ton frigates started in December 2023, with first steel cutting at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, Germany, followed by a keel-laying ceremony attended by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in June 2024.
According to the German defense ministry, the plan to order four MEKO A-200 DEU ships does not mean the F126 program is altogether sunk.
Officials have been negotiating with NVL, or Naval Vessels Lürssen, as a new main contractor for the program, according to an agency statement.
The firm, newly acquired by defense giant Rheinmetall, describes itself on its website as an “independent, privately owned group of renowned Northern German shipyards and related companies.”
Damen has signaled it would go along with a German lead, though the Dutch company wants to remain “an essential partner,” it said in its annual earnings statement in October 2025.
Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris contributed to this article.
The German navy is set to acquire four MEKO frigates from TKMS as a backup due to delays in the F126 program, with the first unit's construction starting in December 2023. This acquisition is part of a bridge solution to ensure anti-submarine capabilities by late 2029. Lawmakers have approved the preliminary contract, while negotiations continue with NVL for the F126 program's main contractor.
- German navy to receive four MEKO frigates from TKMS as a backup.
- F126 program faces delays, with first unit construction starting in December 2023.
- Contract approved by lawmakers as a bridge solution for anti-submarine capabilities.
- Negotiations ongoing with NVL for the F126 program's main contractor.