Home Europe Germany’s lead F125 frigate wraps up warm water trials off Brazil

Germany’s lead F125 frigate wraps up warm water trials off Brazil

F125 frigate FGS Baden-Württemberg
Photo: German Navy

FGS Baden-Württemberg, the Germany Navy’s lead F125 figate, is set to return to her Wilhelmshaven homeport on Thursday, completing her warm water trials off the coast of Brazil.

The ship embarked on the trials in early February, after it was delivered to the German Navy for the second time in April 2019. The frigate was first delivered in 2016, but the navy was forced to return the ship to the shipbuilder due to a number of deficiencies, including flaws in the integration of the ship’s hardware and software systems.

As revealed by the navy, the warm water tests have confirmed the resilience of the cooling systems of the Baden-Württemberg, “even under extreme conditions”.

During the latest round of trials, the frigate and crew covered 13,500 nautical miles (25,000 km) and called at ports on the Canary and Cape Verde Islands, according to the navy.

FGS Baden-Württemberg is now scheduled to undergo a three-month yard stay at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg.

The new generation of four 7,000-ton frigates meant to replace the eight Bremen-class frigates, the final of which is set to bow out of service next year. Armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM), in addition to a 127mm gun, the 150-meter ships will have a crew of 190 and will be able to stay deployed for up to two years, with regular crew changes.

Nordrhein-Westfalen, the second ship in the class, was delivered earlier this year after it was launched in 2015. The German Navy is scheduled to receive the final two units in 2020 and 2021.