Union blames traffic light
Is the frigate “Hessen” at risk of an ammunition problem?
February 29, 2024, 8:21 a.m
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The frigate “Hessen” has only been in operation in the Red Sea for a few days and is already repelling the first attacks. The Union claims that it could run out of ammunition for this sooner or later. Apparently it cannot be obtained again. The inspector of the German Navy denied this.
The German frigate “Hessen”, which is used to protect merchant ships in the Red Sea, may be facing an ammunition problem. “We have only now learned upon request that some of the ammunition from the frigate ‘Hessen’ can no longer be procured because there is no longer the corresponding industrial capacity,” said the defense policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Florian Hahn, on Wednesday of the world”.
“So when the stocks are depleted, the Navy can no longer refill them – and has to withdraw the frigate,” Hahn added. The defense expert accused the traffic light coalition of having concealed this issue from the opposition for months. “Parliament decided to deploy without knowing that there was obviously an ammunition problem with the class 124 frigate,” said Hahn.
The “Hessen” was sent to the region with 240 soldiers on board at the weekend as part of the EU naval mission “Aspides” to protect merchant shipping. She is one of three frigates of the so-called Sachsen class, which are particularly suitable for anti-aircraft defense. The Bundestag approved the mandate for the Bundeswehr to participate in the EU mission on Friday. According to the mandate, the Bundeswehr can take part in the mission with up to 700 soldiers.
Vice Admiral: Have enough ammunition
The inspector of the German Navy, Jan Christian Kaack, confirmed that there would be enough ammunition for the operation. “We will replenish ammunition as soon as possible,” said Kaack. At the same time, the vice admiral defended the soldiers against criticism after an initially unidentifiable US drone was shot at. “The procedure was textbook-like. The drone was clearly classified as hostile. As a commander, I would have acted in exactly the same way,” said Kaack.
The frigate “Hessen”, which was used to protect merchant ships, fended off an attack by the Houthi militia operating from Yemen for the first time on Tuesday evening. The ship taking part in the EU military mission “Aspides” shot down two drones one after the other. Kaack thanked the crew for their determined efforts. “The crew of the Hessen and the commander acted brilliantly last night.”
The shooting down of the two drones was not the first use of weapons by the “Hesse”. She had already shot at a drone on Monday – in this case one from an allied country, which missed. However, the drone was traveling at high speed to the “Hesse” operational area, in which 15 civilian merchant ships were located at the time, without a friend-enemy identification and without a report from the allies. Under these circumstances, the decision to fire was made according to the agreed rules and after consultation with the command.
Because of the attacks by the Houthis, who are armed by Iran, large shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea connection between Asia and Europe – with significant effects on the global economy. Almost daily, the US military carries out strikes to eliminate Houthi targets, including missiles and drones aimed at ships and weapons prepared to be fired.