German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius halted construction of the F126 frigate. The case shows once again that not all major defense projects of the Bundeswehr are completed without hindrances.
While the design of the German Navy’s largest combat ship was initially celebrated with great enthusiasm, disillusionment grew rapidly during construction: the main contractor, the Dutch shipyard Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS), was unable to fulfill the contract signed in 2020.
As a result, construction was delayed, and costs escalated – much to the displeasure of the Ministry of Defence: new frigates are urgently needed, especially for anti-submarine warfare as part of NATO commitments.
The Defense Ministry reportedly considered transferring the contract to shipyard Naval Vessels Lurssen (NVL), which was acquired by defense giant Rhinemetall in March. However, this option was rejected due to the threat of additional costs.
Now, the Defense Minister has put a stop to it: the once-prestigious project has been scrapped. Originally, six F126s were budgeted at €10 billion ($11.3 billion). Reportedly, over €2 billion had already been invested – it appears that some of the money has been lost.
German company TKMS now hopes to benefit from Pistorius’ decision. The German armed forces plan to purchase eight MEKO A-200 class frigates from TKMS, a leading global manufacturer of naval ships and submarines, provided the Bundestag approves the deal.
Benefit? This model has already been built for export, so plans are ready. TKMS has promised to move forward rapidly and hand over the first warship to the Navy by early 2029.