Type 212CD / 212CDE - Program
It was initially difficult to find reliable information about the prospective U-Boot. Both the German and Norwegian industrial and government sides were very reticent in providing information about him, especially since press reports suggested a deadlock in the negotiations on this program. The bilateral agreement between Berlin and Oslo was signed on July 30, 2017. The document stipulated that the Norwegian Sjøforsvaret would receive four vessels and Deutsche Marine two. In Norway, they are to replace six Ula-class ships (German: 210, Norwegian P6071). Following the government's declaration, the agreement was concluded by the defense ministries of both countries, represented respectively by BAAINBw and Forsvarsmateriell. At the time, it seemed that the industrial contract could be finalized by the end of 2019. The reports from the German media indicate that the time needed for an agreement on the technical parameters of ships, industrial cooperation and costs was underestimated.
Despite the adoption of common solutions to the basic issues related to the limitation of unit signatures, their combat system, one- or two-compartment design, the way of cooperation with rescue systems (so far German standards did not provide for cooperation with rescue vehicles, e.g. the NSRS), etc., make an agreement. Less radical statements pointed to delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic hindering negotiations, others - mainly from Norway - talk openly about technical and financial problems.
In 2017, Norwegian government documents describing project 6346 concerning the so-called new underwater capabilities envisaged spending about EUR 1.3 billion on this program in 2018-2025, and currently Forsvarsmateriell already mentions EUR 3.6 billion gross for the entire series. According to the government agreement of 2017, the Norwegian prototype was to be ready in 2026. It was now clear that this timetable cannot be met. Therefore, the Ministry of Defense in Oslo has already secured funds to modernize four of the six Hives and extend their service until successors arrive.
The German shipbuilding holding company thyssenkrupp Marine Systems published more details at the end of 2020 of its offer for a new submarine for the Dutch Koninklijke Marine. It was based on the 212CD project, i.e. Common Design, developed for the needs of the German-Norwegian program. The presentation of the 212CD E (Expeditionary) project shed light not only on the proposal for the Dutch fleet, but also on the German-Norwegian program, still shrouded in mystery.
By the end of 2020 thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS) had not disclosed any significant information or images of the vessel, a variant of which is also offered to Poland as part of the new type submarine program, codenamed Orka. The term 'Expeditionary' is related to the requirements of the Dutch Royal Navy for a future structure to operate not only in the waters around the metropolis but also in the Dutch overseas territories. Thus, it is to be able to operate in coastal and ocean waters, be characterized by a long range and autonomy.
The offer of tkMS is one of three shortlisted by the Dutch Ministry of Defense in December 2019. Next to it there are the French Naval Group with the conventional nuclear variant of the Barracuda type ships or an enlarged version of the Scorpène and the Swedish Saab Kockums with the ocean variant A26. The Spanish shipbuilding group Navantia with the S-80A unit left the race. Since the significant participation of the local industry in the construction and subsequent servicing of ships is of great importance to the Dutch, the Naval Group established a joint venture with the local Royal IHC shipyard, Saab with the Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding group, and tkMS with Directie Materiële Instandhouding (Department of Maintenance of Naval Equipment) in Den Helder.
Competitors entered the bid analysis phase by the Defense Materials Agency (Defensie Materieel Organisatie), which is expected to conclude a contract for four vessels, which should be completed by 2022. They would replace the four currently operated, recently modernized Walrus ships. The published computer images of the 212CD E unit indicate the direction of development of the submarines designed by the Kiel branch of tkMS on the basis of the well-proven 212A project. Six such units of two series are operated by Deutsche Marine, and four more by the Italian Marina Militare. They are characterized by a modern design, a strong fuselage made of austenitic steel, which makes it difficult to detect by magnetic anomaly detectors of patrol planes and helicopters and protects against sea mines, an advanced AIP (Air Independent Propulsion system, operating without access to atmospheric air) and based on electrochemical fuel cells, firepower, the ability to cooperate with special forces operators and modern technical observation systems.
The offer for the Netherlands is based on the MOTS (Military Of The Shelf) idea, from the military. This relates to the German-Norwegian project 212CD, which is to be the basis for the development of a structure that meets the specific requirements of Koninklijke Marine. As in the case of Poland, the advantage is to be able to share the costs of development and design of this submarine model, as well as subsequent maintenance during operation.
The contracts for the U212 Common Design (CD) were signed on 8 July 2021 following extensive preparation and negotiations between the Norwegian (NDMA) and German materiel organisations (BAAINBw) and the contractor tkMS. "Norway and Germany are now setting a new standard for allied cooperation by becoming the first countries to build and operate identical submarines. Today we marked the opening of the world's most modern production facility for conventional submarines, and production start of the world's most modern conventional submarine, the 212CD", said Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram (Centre Party) from Norway.
The German-Norwegian submarine program is making great strides forward. Only two years after signing the largest order in thyssen krupp's history, production of the six identical (212CD) submarines for the German and Norwegian navies is officially underway. "The first of the new submarines would be delivered to Norway in 2029. The contracts cover the acquisition of six submarines - four for Norway and two for Germany", said Gram.
Norway and Germany intend to establish a joint life-cycle management office, staffed by personnel from both countries, to plan and conduct maintenance and upgrades of all six submarines. A dedicated maintenance shipyard for the Norwegian and German 212CDs is under construction at the Haakonsvern Naval Base outside Bergen in Norway which is expected to be ready by the time the first submarine enters service in 2029. The maintenance yard would also host the joint life cycle management office.
"The combined value of the two contracts is more than €5 billion. Additional submarines are also an open discussion", said Gram. Germany and Norway are working closely together on procuring identical submarines, and the joint process towards the submarine supplier TKMS is well under way. Germany and Norway agreed on a strategic partnership for new submarines in 2017. As a result, the two nations entered into a bilateral agreement on naval materiel cooperation 30 June 2017. The cooperation goes far beyond procurement of new identical submarines, and includes cooperation on naval missiles, strengthening the Navy-to-Navy cooperation, expanding industrial cooperation, and increasing cooperation on research and development in the naval domain.
The new Norwegian submarines were initially scheduled to ship from about 2025, with subsequent delivery of one submarine per year, and the delivery of the German U-boats was planned for 2027 and 2030 respectively. The Norwegian Parliament expects that a potential future procurement would ensure contracts for Norwegian defence industry equal to the procurement cost, and that these contracts would provide access to the home market of the chosen supplier.
In April 2016, ThyssenKrupp lost the competition for a billion-dollar contract for the construction of Australian submarines . The contract was then won by French competition from DCNS. The loss of the Australian submarine contract to the French DCNS (today: Naval Group) was for the Germans a shock. The justification of the Australians was that the Germans products relatived to the French generated more noise, in particularly high speeds.
With the design of the 212-CD submarines yet to be locked down, the program stipulated clinching contracts with leading German vendor ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in 2020 and delivering first such vessel to Norway in late 2026. Such cooperation is new for Germany given that “everything from spare parts to training and operational aspects is designed to be bilateral from the start, possibly tying the two sea services together for decades”. Under the 2017 strategic cooperation programme on submarines, TKMS is due to produce four such vessels for Norway and two more for Germany. Additionally, the programme envisages the Norwegian missile-maker Kongsberg outfitting German warships with upgraded naval strike missiles.
On the 2nd of February 2017, the Norwegian Government decided on Germany as a strategic partner for new submarines. Since then, the partnership has been expanded to encompass additional areas. The bilateral cooperation is formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding. On 22 August 2017 the German and Norwegian Ministers of Defence formally marked the start of a long-term cooperation on new submarines and naval missiles. Minister of Defence, Ine Eriksen Søreide, met her German colleague, Ursula von der Leyen, at Eckernföerde naval base today for a bilateral meeting celebrating the start of German-Norwegian naval defence materiel cooperation. "I am very pleased that Norway and Germany have agreed upon a strategic cooperation on naval defence materiel. This agreement is the start of a long-lasting cooperation on new submarines, naval missiles and other defence systems", said Eriksen Søreide.
Norway and Germany already had a longstanding and successful submarine cooperation. Germany is therefore a nation which it is natural for Norway to discuss a potential future submarine cooperation with. In addition to operational and purely defence related matters, industry would play an important part in a future submarine cooperation. The Ministry of Defence participated in an industrial seminar hosted by the Bundesverband der Deutschen Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsindustrie e.V (BDSV) in cooperation with the Norwegian Defence and Security industry Association (FSi) in Berlin the 8th and 9th of February 2016. State Secretary Øystein Bø and the National Armaments Director Morten Tiller participated in the seminar, which focused on the future submarine project and other defence projects where there is a potential for industrial and defence related cooperation between Norway and Germany.
A major part of the materiel cooperation would be the common project for new submarines. The partnership includes a procurement of identical submarines and cooperation on training, exercises, spare parts, maintenance and lifetime-management of the new submarines, as well as industrial cooperation between German and Norwegian defence industry.
"Norway and Germany will procure identical submarines. This cooperation will provide us with significant synergies and savings throughout the service life of the submarines. Kongsberg, tkMS and Atlas Elektronik have established a joint venture that will deliver the Combat Management System for the German and Norwegian submarines. There is also a large potential for further sales of the Combat Management System to other countries. As part of our agreement, we are also going to cooperate on further development and procurement of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM). The NSM is in service in the Norwegian Navy, and Germany is planning a significant acquisition of missiles for its Navy. This provides great opportunities for the defence industry in both countries", said Eriksen Søreide.
The cooperation with Germany would ensure that Norway gets world-class submarines, with significant involvement of the Norwegian defence industry within their technological areas of expertise. The long-term strategic partnership would help secure and create high-tech jobs in both nations
Germany and Norway were working closely together on procuring the new identical submarines, the 212CD. The procurement organisations Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) and the Bundesamt für Ausrüstnung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) were in a commercial process with the submarine supplier thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS), who in turn is in the process with a large number of potential subcontractors from a variety of different nations. A binding offer was expected from tkMS in mid-2018. Germany and Norway would then start negotiations with the shipyard, with the aim of signing a contract in 2019.
Preparation for the necessary buildings and infrastructure projects related to the new submarines was under way. Norway was planning to reuse and update existing infrastructure wherever possible. In addition, a project for a new maintenance facility was being prepared. This facility was necessary for Norway to retain the capability to maintenance of the new submarines.
On 31 October 2017 the two companies Kongsberg and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) announced a joint venture for joint development of command and weapon deployment systems. As Kongsberg announced, the joint venture would be called kta Naval Systems and, as the exclusive supplier of submarines from TKMS, would develop, produce and maintain Combat Systems. kta Naval Systems would be headquartered in the Norwegian town of Kongsberg and with another office in Bremen. According to the information, 50 percent of the shares in Kongsberg, the remaining 50 percent in TKMS and its wholly owned subsidiary Atlas Elektronik. Kathrin Rohloff, who comes from TKMS, would manage kta Naval Systems as managing director, explained a Kongsberg spokesman. The company was to supply the Combat System for the new Norwegian-German submarines of the Class 212 CD as well as all future submarines built by TKMS. According to reports, the joint venture would initially have 16 to 18 employees, but their number was to be increased.
With a contract signed 19 December 2024 by the President of the Bundeswehr Procurement Office, Annette Lehnigk-Emden, the number of U212CD (Common Design) submarines to be procured for the Bundeswehr jointly with Norway increased significantly from two to six. The agreement originally concluded with thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in July 2021 included the manufacture and delivery of an initial six identical submarines, two for Germany and four for Norway.
With the contractual extension to include an additional four boats for the German Armed Forces and Norway's current intention to order two more option boats, both NATO partners could have six submarines of the new type at their disposal in the future.
"The cooperation with our Norwegian partner will provide our two armed forces with new opportunities for deployment in the context of national and alliance defense, especially on NATO's northern flank. In addition, we were enabling the German Navy to meet its requirements within the framework of the Navy 2035+ target image. The U212 CD project is another prominent example of how we were up to the procurement requirements of this changing era," said Lehnigk-Emden on the occasion of the contract signing.
"With these submarines, we are combining proven technology, which we already know from U212A, with further developments, especially in the area of sensor technology, which will make us future-proof," adds the responsible project manager, Jörg Jährig.
For the boat class, an important milestone in the project was successfully completed in the summer of last year with the so-called Critical Design Review (CDR), the final determination of the design, which formed the basis for the subsequent start of production in September 2023. This technical basis for the construction of all boats of the U212CD class has already been adapted to the requirements of the current threat situation. The delivery of the six German submarines was planned annually for the period 2032 to 2037.
The close and trusting bilateral cooperation will leverage synergies in operations, logistics and maintenance, which will have a positive impact on the operational availability of this strategic weapon system and on reducing costs. The early establishment of a joint German-Norwegian program office (Joint Program Building Office) to coordinate joint procurement has already proven to be strategically correct and mutually beneficial.
The German Parliament (Bundestag) in its final committee sessions before Christmas approved a large number of Bundeswehr procurement requests worth around 21 billion Euros. The most notable item for the German Navy concerns an additional four Type 212CD submarines. This approval means Berlin will have six Type 212CD on order, once officials sign off on a contract with builder TKMS. Oslo previously indicated a desire to also increase their standing order of four boats by adding another two hulls.
Italy, the Netherlands and Poland were planning procurement of new submarines in the same period as Norway and Germany. German and Norway were working together towards these nations with the hope of gaining more submarine partners in order for all to achieve greater synergies and economies of scale.
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