By Aakanksha Nigam
For the German Navy’s new F-126 frigates, Kongsberg Maritime Sweden AB has contracted with Damen Naval to provide four shipsets of Kongsberg-controlled pitch propeller systems, along with related hubs, blades, hubcaps, and shaft lines.
Damen Naval has been hired by Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBW) to design and build the warships in 2020. The four ships will be built in shipyards in Wolgast, Kiel, and Hamburg. Each ship has two propellers and shaft lines. The construction schedule is for the ships to be delivered between 2028 and 2031, with the possibility of building two further ships with expanded Kongsberg Maritime technology after 2032.
The effective propeller/shaft line system is the outcome of close collaboration between Damen Naval, Kongsberg Maritime, the classification society, and the HSVA test institute from Hamburg.
The F-126 platform will have an overall length of roughly 160 metres and a displacement of roughly 10,000 tonnes when it enters service in 2028. With 80 more berths, it can house 114 crew members. The multipurpose frigate is capable of carrying out operational missions in all areas of maritime warfare, but it can also handle a variety of other tasks, including counter-piracy operations, long-duration maritime patrols, maritime escort and convoy tasks, supporting special operations forces, and serving as a command ship for task groups.
Maria Bergsman, in charge of the sale at Kongsberg Maritime, declares, “We are happy and excited to be partners with Damen in this very significant program.” A key success factor in the construction of these frigates will be our long-standing relationship working closely with Damen and with a common understanding of the essential technologies, coordinated by our experienced and devoted project management teams,” said Damen.
According to Dirk Henneberg, the F126 Project Procurement Manager, “Kongsberg Maritime’s competent, customer-driven, and dedicated attitude made it an easy choice when it came to sourcing the CP-propeller systems for the new frigates.”
