German Navy to commission final F125 frigate

German Navy will commission the frigate Rheinland-Pfalz, the last of four frigates of F125 (Baden-Württemberg) class in Wilhelmshaven on 13 July.

The frigate Rheinland-Pfalz wil completes the fleet of the F125s alongside the first frigate Baden-Württemberg, second unit Nordrhein-Westphalen and the third one Sachsen-Anhalt. 

“The fourth and final commissioning of the F125 class represents another important milestone for our squadron and the Navy,” explained the Commander of the 4th Frigate Squadron, Captain Dirk Jacobus.

“This means that for the first time all four ships are in the Navy’s area of ​​responsibility. With the delivery of the last F125 in the Navy, we gain additional means for the targeted training of all our crews,” he added.  

German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) delivered the final F125 frigate In January this year.

The brand new frigates are replacing the Bremen-class frigates, commissioned between 1982 and 1990, which served as the backbone of the German Navy.

With a displacement of about 7,200 tons, the F125 units have a length of 149 meters, a beam of 18 meters and can reach a speed of 26 knots.

Besides the traditional tasks of national and alliance defence, they are designed for conflict prevention and crisis management as well as for intervention and stabilization operations in an international context.

In addition to the ability to engage targets both on land and on water, they are equipped with air defence systems and helicopters.

The third ship of the class was put into service at Naval Base Heppenser Groden in Wilhelmshaven on 17 May 2021.