Sachsen-class frigate

F220 Hamburg in Hamburg Harbour

The F124 Sachsen class is Germany's latest class of frigates. Their main task is air-defence.

With 1.5 billion Euros this was one of the most expensive ship building programs of the German Navy. They are quiet simmilar to the dutch De Zeven Provinciën-class.

Specifications

• Length: 143,0m
• Beam: 17,44m
• Draft: 5,0m
• Tonnage: 5600t
• Propulsion: combined diesel and gas system
  • 2 propeller shafts, controllable pitch propellers
  • 2 MTU V20 diesel engines, 7.4MW each
  • 1 General Electric LM2500 gas turbine,
  • 2 Renk ASM 195 F gearboxes (for the diesel engines)
  • 1 Renk AS 2/290 gearbox (gas turbine and cross connection)
  • 4 1000kW diesel-generators
  • Range: 4000 nautical miles at 18kts
  • Maximum Speed: 29kts
• Sensors:
  • 2 STN Atlas 9600-M multi-function I/J band ARPA radars
  • 1 Thales Nederlands SMART-L long-range air and surface surveillance radar
  • 1 Thales Nederlands active phased array radar (APAR) X band search, tracking and guidance radar
  • 1 Thales Sirius IRST long-range infrad surveillance and tracking system
  • 1 STN Atlas MSP 500 electro-optical fire control system
  • 1 STN Atlas DSQS-24B bow sonar
• Countermeasures:
  • 1 FL 1800 S II ECM suite
  • 6 Sippican Hycor SRBOC launcher
• Communication: Link 16 and Link 11
• Armament:
  • 1 vertical launch system with 32 cells for 32 ESSM (4 per cell) and 24 SM-2 IIA surface-to-air missiles
  • 2 RAM launchers with 21 surface-to-air/CIWS-missiles each
  • 2 quadruple Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher
  • 1 OTO-Melara 76mm dual-purpose gun
  • 2 Mauser MLG 27 27mm autocannons (replacing Rheinmetall Rh-202 cannons)
  • 2 triple torpedo launchers with EuroTorp MU90 Impact torpedo
• Hangar for 2 Sea Lynx Mk.88 or 2 NH90 helicopters
• Endurance: 3 weeks
• Complement: 230+13

List of ships

Pennant number	Name	Call sign	Shipyard	Laid down	Launched	Delivered	Com- missioned
F219	Sachsen	DRAA	Blohm + Voss	February 11999		October 282004	November 42004
F220	Hamburg		HDW		August2002	September2004	December 132004
F221	Hessen		Nordseewerke	September 142001	July2003	December 72005	planned for 2006
(F222)	Thüringen	may be built

All three are (or will be) part of the 1. Fregattengeschwader (1st frigate squadron) based in Wilhelmshaven.

References

• Fregatte SACHSEN-Klasse (in German) - @ Marine (official homepage of the German Navy)
• SACHSEN CLASS @ naval-technology.com