Type 124 Sachsen
This is the German half of the Air-defense Command Frigates (LCF Luchtverdedigings en Commando Fregat) project. The LCF is an air defence frigate that has Standard and Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles as its main armament. These ships will replace the 'Lutjens' class.
These ships are being build as part of a tri-partite building program between the Spanish Armada, the German Marine, and the Dutch Royal Navy. Instead of the failed Horizon program which involved Italy, France, and Great Brittain, this program concentrates upon the Ship Platform and systems, rather than on combat systems and weaponry. The ships being developed in this program are the Dutch De Zeven Provincien class, Spanish F-100 with SPY-1 and Aegis combat system, and the German F124 which has the APAR and SEWACO combat system.
The design of the ship itself goes back to the well-proven F123 Class, but with a different propulsion concept that, for the first time, comprises a CODAG system. The F 124 contains a guidance and weapons deployment system with a fully devolved data processing system, a devolved real time database and a redundant database network.
The industry is developing the operational software for the Combat direction system under the terms of a construction contract (through the ARGE Fl24 as General Contractor).
In addition to essential elements of the MEKO design concept, the new frigate will incorporate the combined experience gained over the past 40 years in German naval shipbuilding, starting with the "Cologne" Class frigates, through the 36 MEKOŽ frigates that have been built to date, right up to the frigates of the "Brandenburg" Class.
| Main characteristics ship platform: | |
| Lenght, overall: | 143,00 m |
| Length, DWL | 132,15 m |
| Breadth, main deck: | 17,44 m |
| Breadth, DWL: | 16,68 m |
| Draught: | 5 m |
| Displacement: | appr. 5600 t |
| Propulsion - CODAG: | |
| 1 gas turbine | 23.500 kW |
| 2 diesel engines | 7.400 kW each |
| Shafts: | 2 shafts |
| Propellers: | 2 controllable pitch propellers |
| Gear Unit: | 2 main gearboxes, 1 cross-connection gearbox |
| Single steering gear | |
| Rudder stablizing system | |
| Economic Cruising Speed | >18 kn |
| Max. Speed | >29 kn |
| Modules: | |
| 4 weapon modules | |
| 7 electronic modules | |
| 33 pallet modules | |
| 12 ventilation modules | |
| 2 mast modules | |
| Crew: | |
| comodation (including OTC staff) | 255 |
F 219 "Sachsen", build by Blohm + Voss, December 2002
F 220 "Hamburg", build by HDW, December 2004
F 221 "Hessen", build by Thyssen Nordseewerke, December 2005
