Home Europe Germany christens first of five new K130 corvettes

Germany christens first of five new K130 corvettes

FGS Köln christening
FGS Köln during the christening ceremony in Hamburg. Photo: German Navy

The German Navy has held a christening ceremony for the first of a new batch of K130 corvettes it has been building since 2019.

Future FGS Köln was christened in a ceremony at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg on April 21.

Germany is building the five additional corvettes, which are also referred to as the Braunschweig-class, under a €2.4 billion contract from September 2017. These ships will supplement the first five units which were built between 2008 and 2013.

The second batch is being delivered by a shipbuilding consortium composed of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, German Naval Yards Kiel and Lürssen Werft as prime contractor. Two ships will be pre-built at the Lürssen shipyard in Bremen, while three will be pre-built by German Naval Yards in Kiel. The ships’ final assembly is taking place at the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg

Following the christening ceremony, FGS Köln is set to undergo further fitting out before embarking on sea trials and joining the navy fleet. All five of the new ships are scheduled to be delivered by 2025.

While almost identical in design and dimensions, the second batch of ships will have improved combat systems, new masts and an additional RHIB. They will also carry improved TRS-4D C-Band (NATO G-Band) gallium nitride active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars that will be delivered by Hensoldt.

The 90-meter ships are equipped with two 27 mm Mauser MLG27 remote-controlled, fully-automatic cannons, and one OTO Melara 76 mm gun. The corvettes will also be operating the V-200 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

K130 corvettes also share their design with the SA’AR 6 corvettes Germany delivered to Israel in 2021.