Dhe Navy commissioned the last frigate of the Baden-Württemberg class (F125 for short) on Wednesday. The “Rheinland Pfalz” was handed over to the 4th Frigate Squadron in Wilhelmshaven. Their commander, Captain Dirk Jacobus, spoke before the handover of an “important milestone”, not only for his squadron, but for the entire Navy.
In fact, with the handover of the 150 meter long ship, a veritable odyssey is coming to an end. The project is representative of a series of armaments projects that have gotten completely out of hand in the Bundeswehr in recent years. Too late, too expensive, and only conditionally operational – this is how the condition of the F125 can be summarized, which was long considered the future of the German naval forces.
The frigates are not designed for symmetrical naval warfare, but for global stabilization missions, which have become increasingly important for the Navy in recent decades. They are designed to be at sea for up to two years without having to return to their home port. This saves time that would otherwise be needed for getting to and from more distant regions of the world. Due to a variety of automations, the crew is only half the size of previous frigates – the permanent crews each have 120 seamen and rotate, which is also new, as part of a multi-crew concept. A further 70 soldiers, such as special forces, for whose support the frigates are just as suitable as for maritime surveillance or combating piracy, can also be embarked.
However, the 15th Defense Ministry (BMVg) armaments report, released in June, shows that the project is more than four and a half years behind schedule. The costs have also exploded. The BMVg is currently assuming that there will be 57 percent additional costs – the equivalent of around 1.26 billion euros. Finally, there is the fact that none of the four warships is fully operational. Your IT systems are inadequately protected. The “hardening” is running, but initially only on the “North Rhine-Westphalia”. There are also “needs repairs”, which are not explained in detail, which are also “essential” for operational readiness. Delivery bottlenecks lead to further delays. There is also a lack of ammunition for the frigates’ 127-millimeter guns.
The first ship of the F125 class is expected to be “technically ready for use” by July 1, 2023. Assuming everything goes smoothly now. The armaments report states that there is “no leeway for further delays.”