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Type 125 / F125 Baden-Württemberg - Program

The contractor for the four F125 frigates is the ARGE F125, made up of TKMS (ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems) and Lürssen. TKMS has commissioned Blohm + Voss Naval to carry out the construction work as subcontractor. Blohm + Voss Shipyards has, in turn, concluded a subcontractor agreement to build the ships. The project is a logistical challenge with construction work being carried out at three shipyards at the same time: at Blohm + Voss Shipyards in Hamburg, at the Friedrich Lürssen shipyard in Lemwerder as well as at P+S in Wolgast.

The building contract signed in June 2007 stipulates the production of a total of four 125-class frigates, which are to be delivered by the F125 consortium between spring 2016 and 2018. The German Navy's frigate program has a key role to play not only in ensuring the retention of the innovation-driving expertise possessed by German shipbuilding and the suppliers to this sector, but also in maintaining job security for what is one of Germany's key industries. The frigate program of the German Navy highlights the prominent position held by the German naval shipbuilding sector and its supplier industries worldwide. The sector contributes to securing core expertise in naval shipbuilding at a national level, while also safeguarding jobs throughout Germany.

On May 9, 2011, the construction of the first F125 frigate was launched at the shipyard of Blohm+Voss in Hamburg. The event was attended by more than 200 guests from politics, economy and military. The Chief of staff of the Navy, Vice Admiral Axel Saha, welcomed the ground-breaking concept of new Baden-Württemberg - class. The handing over of the Baden-Württemberg frigate of the German Navy is planned for the year 2016. The ceremony was organized by the F125 Work Group (ARGE F125), consisting of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG – who commissioned Blohm + Voss Naval GmbH to complete the order and Friedrich Lürssen Werft GmbH & Co.

Following a three-year design and management phase, and six months after production started on the first section, the festive laying-down of the first hull section marks the continuation of the first 125-class frigate according to schedule. This punctual start of production marks the first milestone following the signing of the contract in June 2007. Keel-laying took place in November 2011 and delivery of the first vessel was planned for 2016.

The building contract signed in June 2007 stipulates the production of a total of four 125-class frigates, which are to be delivered by the F125 consortium between spring 2016 and 2018. TheGerman Navy's frigate program has a key role to play not only in ensuring the retention of theinnovation-driving expertise possessed by German shipbuilding and the suppliers to this sector, but also in maintaining job security for what is one of Germany's key industries.

In October 2008 Siemens received an order to equip four German navy Class F125 frigates with propulsion equipment and integrated automation and control systems. The customer is a joinder of the shipyard companies Krupp Marine Systems AG and Fr. Lürssen Werft GmbH & Co. KG (ARGE F125). The order is worth just under 50 million euros. Delivery of the first frigate is scheduled for 2014 and the fourth ship for 2017. For more than a hundred years Siemens Marine Technology has been specializing in the design, manufacture and commissioning of electrical equipment for all types of merchant vessels, naval vessels and submarines worldwide.

Besides the system engineering and project management, Siemens' scope of supply for each ship includes the electrical propulsion system, consisting of two electric motors (approx. 4.5 MW each) with the associated converters, the electronic control unit and the medium-voltage switchgear. For control and monitoring purposes, an integrated control and automation system for on-board ship equipment (ILASST) will be installed, including a battle damage control system (BDCS) and an on-board training system (OBTS). The complementary solutions of the Sinavy product family from Siemens can be integrated without any interface problems and meet the high requirements placed on surface navy vessels as regards reliability, availability and stability. Even after delivery, Siemens will be able to provide comprehensive support for the frigates as part of its life-cycle management program.

In November 2009 Astrium Services was awarded a contract by F125 ARGE, a joint venture between Thyssen-Krupp and Lürssen, to deliver the satellite-communication system for the German navy’s four F125 class frigates. The contract, which will be delivered by Astrium’s Secure Satcom Systems Division, will provide the F125 with the capability to conduct global operations by ensuring secure, high-bandwidth communications over Germany’s SATCOM BW2 and other allied networks.

In November 2009 ATLAS ELEKTRONIK [a joint subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp and EADS] took over the technical support of the satellite communication systems operated by the German Navy. The corresponding partnership contract was been signed by EADS Astrium UK and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH. ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, through its Services Department, was given exclusive responsibility for the through-life support services for all SHF satellite communication systems of EADS Astrium UK. The services transferred include the procurement of spare parts, the handling of repairs and customer service tasks, and the onboard integration of upgrades. As the country support partner of EADS Astrium UK, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK also took on the support services for the German F125 frigate. During the construction, integration, commissioning and in-service phases, the Bremen-based company would ensure that all the support measures are in place for the SHF satcom system. In addition, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK will become the main point of contact in respect of this service palette for the ARGE F125 consortium, for the Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement, for the German Navy and for the Naval Arsenal.

ATLAS ELEKTRONIK has longstanding experience in the provision of support services for the communication systems of the German Navy. Since 2002, ATLAS has collaborated with German Navy regarding the satcom systems on ships, on boats and at Naval Headquarters. Thanks to the partnership between EADS Astrium UK and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, an expanded and enhanced service programme is being established for the German Navy.

Oto Melara, a Finmeccanica company, has signed two different contracts with the German BWB (the Purchasing Dept. of the German Ministry of Defence) worth 80 million Euros overall. The first contract, worth 70 million Euros, regards the supply of five 127/64 Light Weight naval gun mounts, four of which will be installed on the F125 Frigates, the new ships designed and produced by the ARGE F125 Consortium for the German Navy, while the fifth will be used for training purposes.

The second contract, that falls within the same program, envisages the supply of twenty-five remotely controlled HITROLE® 12,7mm naval turrets, five for each ship, plus five to be used for training, in the new NT (Naval Tilting) version, expressly designed and developed by Oto Melara to meet specific requirements of the German Navy. The German Navy’s F125 class frigates will be equipped with Cassidian’s newly developed TRS-4D naval radar, which will provide them with reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities that are unique worldwide. Cassidian, an EADS company, is a worldwide leader in global security solutions and systems, providing Lead Systems Integration and value-added products and services to civil and military customers around the globe: air systems (aircraft and unmanned aerial systems), land, naval and joint systems, intelligence and surveillance, cyber security, secure communications, test systems, missiles, services and support solutions.

Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, has now successfully passed the first factory acceptance test for the radar system carried out by the customers, the German procurement authority BAAINBw and Blohm + Voss Naval. The first unit, which will equip a land-based system in Wilhelmshaven, was delivered in February 2013. The first TRS-4D for the “Baden-Württemberg” lead ship was scheduled for delivery in August 2013. “This new radar guarantees high operational availability on long-term missions and also improves the survivability of navy ships,” explains Elmar Compans, head of the Sensors & Electronic Warfare unit at Cassidian.

TRS-4D enables ships ranging from patrol vessels to frigates to carry out the various detection tasks required of ship-borne, medium-range radar systems both in the open sea as well as in complex coastal zones with a high target density. Compared to conventional radars, this more accurate, faster system now tackles a wider-than-ever scope of targets, e.g. for protection against asymmetric attacks.

The new radar is based on a unique system concept. In contrast to any other systems available on the market, the TRS-4D is the first surveillance radar to make full use of the advantages of AESA technology (AESA = Active Electronically Scanned Array), which is based on multiple independent emitters. This results in a detection performance that is unprecedented worldwide. The core element of AESA technology as it is used here is a multitude of Cassidian-made transmit and receive modules based on the very latest gallium nitride (GaN) technology. GaN has unique electronic features such as high power efficiency, and also allows for very efficient industrial production processes. Cassidian is the European leader in this technology.

The TRS-4D system concept provides navies and coast guards with all of the benefits of AESA technology, which up to now had only been available in very expensive systems. Cassidian is now also making this technology competitive for medium-sized surveillance and target acquisition radars. For the F125 frigates the system will be deployed in a version with four fixed arrays. However, a version with a single, mechanically rotating antenna is also available.

Even before the end of 2015, the paint below the waterline had to be renewed because it had come to mussel growth and flaking because of using a wrong color. The ARGE F125 working group called on the expertise of XERVON to provide corrosion protection for the new F125 frigates. The XERVON specialists were involved in all three construction phases. During the first phase, which lasted around twelve months per frigate, corrosion protection work will be carried out in XERVON's own blasting hall located on the grounds of the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg. The individual frigate sections and modules will be delivered to the hall and then processed there – which will be a great spectacle considering the sizes of the actual pieces. The largest section that will be delivered to Hamburg will be, for example, approx. 19 meters wide, 24 meters deep and 11 meters high. In order to ensure that the corrosion specialists can reach the whole surface, the individual parts will first be surrounded by scaffolding. This work will be carried out by their colleagues from XERVON's scaffolding division which is also located at the shipyard.

Once this has been completed, the modules and sections undergo the scheduled treatment under strict quality control. Completely different types of corrosion protection systems with precisely defined properties are applied depending on the requirements of the surface being treated. Whilst epoxy resin material will primarily be used, polyurethane and special coats will also be applied as well as, for example, anti-fouling systems. In order to ensure that the anti-corrosion systems protect the surfaces for as long a time as possible, the steel surfaces will first be carefully prepared before being coated, i.e. they will be blasted and cleaned. This preparation work is not only carried out to remove any unwanted materials. It also ensures that the surfaces have the exact, predefined degree of roughness needed for the coats to be applied. Once the sections have been protected against corrosion, they were taken to the building dock, where the ships are assembled and the final construction work carried out.

Due to extended requirements of the Federal Armed Forces in terms of strength and rigidity and more space to accommodate the on-board helicopters , the inflow was postponed according to the 2009 amendment agreement in the years 2016 to 2018. Previously there had been months of delays because of the fire protection coating and the cables. Then there were problems with the transmission of the main drive. In January 2017, the construction of the four vessels was 29 months in arrears, including 15 months for design revisions, eight months for poor fire protection and six months for delays in relocating 500 kilometers of cable per vessel.