Messboote Seeversuche Küste SVK

The procurement project Messboote Seeversuche Küste ["Measuring boat seatrials coast"[ is the replacement for the small multi-purpose and test boat of class 741 of the armament fleet of the Wehrtechnischen Dienststelle (WTD) 71. the replacement of two “coast test boats” with a price tag of around € 95 million, she are to replace the three boats currently in use. The arrival of the two new boats is expected in 2023 and 2024, and they are to be built by the Fassmer shipyard in Berne, Lower Saxony.

On July 22nd, 2021, the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use (BAAINBw) signed a contract with Fassmer GmbH & Co. KG for the procurement of new measuring boats for the Wehrtechnische Dienststelle (WTD) 71. As a testing center for ships, naval weapons and maritime technology, WTD 71 has a total of nine ships with special capabilities to carry out its tasks. As a result of the procurement that has now been contractually initiated, the multi-purpose boats of the class 745 "Breitgrund" and "Mittelgrund" will be replaced after 32 years, as will the barrage weapon test boat "Wilhelm Pullwer" of the class 741 after 55 years.

"The WTD 71 is looking forward to the new ships arriving in 2023 with their modern and contemporary equipment, which will then be the widely visible expression of defense investigations and tests in the Eckenförde Bay for the next 30 years", says the responsible project manager Thomas Wallner von the WTD 71.

The two new ships "Measuring Boats Sea Trials Coast" are structurally identical, constructed according to civil standards and modified for the special requirements of defense tests. The pursued concept of the multi-purpose boat makes it possible to adapt the equipment for the completion of the tasks easily, flexibly and individually to the respective order and test purpose and thus always create a targeted configuration of the capabilities of the boat.

In the future, the new measuring boats will, among other things, support the securing and recovery of torpedoes as part of tests, the accompaniment of submarines during shallow water tests, but also the use of autonomous underwater vehicles as well as diving missions in the context of military investigations of diving devices and equipment.

The Defense Technical Service for Ships and Naval weapons, maritime technology and researchschung (WTD 71) belongs to the division of the Federal Office for Equipment, Information technology and use of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw). In the WTD 71, tasks in all areas of maritime defense technology and defense research are processed. It provides the technical expertise in the field of maritime research and development development ready to equip the federal forces with suitable and safe maritime defense arms as necessary. The WTD 71 is at the same time a federal institution with departmental research for the central technical-scientific Naval armament capacity.

The aim of all activities of the agency is to make available for the German Navy operationally safe and functionalon-capable devices, systems, boats and ships. The WTD 71 forms with its capability networkfrom technical expertise, maritime scientificCompetence, methodological knowledge and technicalshear and scientific experimental andSurveying infrastructure is the link betweenbetween the products (overall system ship, theShare of platform and deployment system, systems,Individual devices, equipment), the militaryCapability requirements of the German Navy,project management at BAAINBw, as well asthe defense industry and externalscientific institutions.One of the agency's strengths lies in its extensivemarked international and interdepartmentalfenden profile, which can be found in a variety ofrepresents international cooperation. The WTD71 has a certified quality management systemsystem and thus ensures continuous improvementsecuring processes and procedures.

According to the ideas of WTD 71, the concept of the multi-purpose boat should be able to "easily, flexibly and individually adapt the equipment for the fulfillment of the task to the respective order and test purpose and thus always create a targeted configuration of the boat's capabilities". Among other things, the new measuring boats are intended to support the securing and recovery of torpedoes in the context of tests, the accompaniment of submarines during the shallow water tests, the use of autonomous underwater vehicles as well as the diving missions in the context of defense investigations of diving devices and equipment. The BAAINBw press release did not deal with the costs of the two new measuring boats. In March of last year, however, the Eckernförder Zeitung wrote that massive investments should be made in WTD 71. The article said, among other things: "In the next few years there will be six new boats for 183 million euros, and there is also a new torpedo firing range for over 100 million euros." The fact that Eckernförde is to be expanded into one of the largest and most important naval and defense technology locations in Germany has been a topic in the regional press several times. The daily newspapers of the Schleswig-Holstein newspaper publisher ( shz ) reported in July 2020 that the federal government wanted to invest another 400 million euros in the Preuss barracks in the Eckernförde-Grasholz district by 2035, and that the number of military and civilian posts should be 3000 rise to 4000.