German Navy to receive eight F128 frigates for anti-submarine warfare in the North Atlantic.

The German Bundestag Budget Committee approved the acquisition of four additional MEKO A-200 DEU (F128-class) frigates from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems on October 8, 2026, increasing total planned procurement to eight warships. This decision follows the cancellation of the delayed F126 program and exercises existing procurement options to accelerate anti-submarine warfare capabilities for the German Navy. The multi-billion-euro expansion is designed to fulfill NATO commitments across northern maritime corridors through scheduled deliveries concluding by 2035.

Germany's F128 program, which replaces six canceled F126 frigates with eight MEKO A-200 DEU frigates by 2035, is primarily intended to detect, track, and engage submarines in the Baltic Sea, North Sea, North Atlantic, and High North. (Picture source: Bundeswehr)

On October 8, 2026, the German Bundestag's Budget Committee approved the acquisition of four additional MEKO A-200 DEU (F128) frigates from TKMS, increasing the German Navy's planned procurement to eight ships, following the cancellation of the six F126 Niedersachsen-class frigates. The decision exercises the option accompanying the first four frigates approved on July 8, 2026, bringing estimated acquisition expenditure to €11.6 billion, including €6.3 billion for the initial batch and €5.3 billion for the second, plus €300 million for support and reserves. Operating expenditure for the additional four is estimated at €1.55 billion through 2045. Each F128-class frigate will displace 3,950 tonnes and measure 121 meters, compared with 10,550 tonnes and 166 meters for the F126.

The first ship is due in December 2029, the initial four by March 2032, and all eight by 2035 to primarily conduct anti-submarine warfare in the Baltic, North Sea, Atlantic, and High North to support Germany's NATO commitments. The F128 procurement replaces an earlier program initiated on June 17, 2020, when Germany awarded Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding a €5.48 billion contract for four F126 frigates, including mission modules and training facilities. Berlin then added two ships for €2.88 billion in June 2024, increasing the acquisition to six frigates and the combined contract value to €8.36 billion. Each F126 was designed to be 166 meters long, 21.7 meters wide, and 5.9 meters in draught, displace 10,550 tonnes, and accommodate 114 core crew members plus 84 additional personnel.

Related topic: Germany approves €6 Billion funding for new F128 MEKO frigates to track Russian submarines in Atlantic

Its planned equipment included two NH90 helicopters, interchangeable anti-submarine warfare and detention modules, and accommodation arrangements supporting deployments of up to 24 months with crew rotations every four months. Steel cutting for the first F126, the Niedersachsen, began December 5, 2023, followed by keel laying on June 3, 2024. Engineering coordination, incompatible design data, and construction delays pushed delivery toward 2032. Germany terminated the contract on June 24, 2026, after examining a transfer to Naval Vessels Lürssen that risked raising expenditure beyond €18 billion and concluding that Damen could not meet contractual cost and delivery requirements. The MEKO A-200 DEU, designated as F128-class, will measure 121 meters long, 16.4 meters wide, and 4.4 meters in design draught, with 125 core crew and accommodation for 49 additional personnel.

Its CODAG-WARP machinery combines two 6 MW diesels driving controllable-pitch propellers with a 20 MW gas turbine powering a centerline waterjet, totaling 32 MW. Maximum speed exceeds 29 knots (53.7 km/h), range exceeds 6,500 nautical miles (12,038 km) at 16 knots, and endurance reaches 28 days. Its X-form hull, enclosed equipment, flush-closing openings, cooled exhaust discharge, low-noise propellers, and tri-axial degaussing reduce detectable radar, infrared, acoustic, and magnetic signatures. TKMS attributes 50% lower radar cross-section and 75% lower infrared signature to the MEKO A-200 design relative to earlier designs, and several ships of this family are already operated by South Africa, Algeria, and Egypt. The F128's primary submarine-search equipment will center on an Atlas Elektronik variable-depth towed sonar, supplemented by a hull-mounted sonar whose model remains unselected.

Lowering the towed sonar beneath thermal layers can improve detection in water conditions where a submarine might otherwise remain outside the ship's effective detection area. Each frigate is intended to embark one NH90 Sea Tiger helicopter to extend searches beyond the ship and attack submarines with lightweight torpedoes. The proposed ASW armament includes 324 mm MU90 torpedoes and Mk 32 launch tubes; the MU90 weighs 304 kg, exceeds 50 knots, and can operate at depths exceeding 1,000 meters at ranges exceeding 10 km. Aviation facilities accommodate one helicopter weighing up to 11 tonnes or two helicopters weighing up to six tonnes each, with provision for two UAVs. Space for two 20-foot-equivalent mission modules allows additional equipment to be embarked, but sharing hangar capacity between helicopters and modules can reduce the space available for aircraft maintenance and storage. 

Saab will also provide the first four F128 frigates with composite superstructures, the 9LV combat management system, and radar equipment under a SEK 8.7 billion contract awarded on July 16, 2026, with deliveries scheduled between 2029 and 2032. The principal radar will be the Sea Giraffe 4A FF, which uses four fixed S-band AESA arrays with gallium-nitride technology for 360-degree surveillance, complemented by the Sea Giraffe 1X X-band radar and the CEROS 200 fire-control director. Saab's 9LV system will integrate these sensors with the frigate's underwater surveillance equipment and weapons, allowing operators to combine radar contacts, sonar information, and targeting data. Planned weapons include Mk 41 vertical launch cells, RIM-116 RAM air defense missiles, Naval Strike Missiles, a 76/62 mm gun, SeaSnake 30 equipment, and MU90 torpedoes.

The F128's eventual ability to engage multiple airborne threats will therefore depend on the selected missile loadout, launcher capacities, and integration of its radar and combat management system. The acquisition schedule requires TKMS to move from preliminary engineering to the first completed frigate within the period between February 2026 and December 2029. Therefore, Germany already signed a preliminary F128 agreement with TKMS in February 2026 and increased preparatory funding to €240 million in March. This permitted early procurement of propulsion equipment and other long-lead components before the first four ships received approval on July 8. This first batch will average €1.575 billion per frigate, against €1.325 billion for the second, a €250 million (15.9%) difference partly reflecting initial engineering expenditure.

Stahlbau Nord in Bremerhaven will participate in hull construction, while TKMS will handle fitting-out and integration, potentially using FSG Shipyard in Flensburg and supplier capacity released from F126. Deliveries are targeted for December 2029, September 2030, June 2031, and March 2032, respectively, requiring nine-month intervals between each completed ship. The remaining four ships are expected by 2035, extending the production requirement across the next decade. Consequently, TKMS is closely examining whether facilities and suppliers released from F126 can support this production schedule. The German Navy intends to employ the F128 primarily against submarines operating in the Baltic Sea, North Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and High North, including the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) corridor connecting northern waters with the wider Atlantic.

Eight F128 frigates represent two more hulls than the canceled F126 program, but their combined displacement of 31,600 tonnes is 31,700 tonnes below the 63,300 tonnes planned for six F126s. The difference also extends to embarked aviation: the F126 was designed for two NH90 helicopters per ship, giving six frigates a theoretical capacity of twelve helicopters, whereas eight F128s carrying one NH90 each would accommodate eight, but 16 lighter helicopters. Conversely, eight F128 hulls provide two additional independently deployable ships, allowing the navy to assign vessels to more separate patrol areas when sufficient crews and helicopters are available. The German Navy's P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will complement these frigates by conducting airborne submarine searches and supporting coordinated surveillance over larger maritime areas.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.