Sachsen-class Frigate

The F124 Sachsen-class is Germany's latest class of highly advanced air-defense frigates. The design of the Sachsen-class frigate is based on that of the F123 Brandenburg-class but with enhanced stealth features intended to deceive any opponent's radar and acoustic sensors and incorporate also the advanced multifunction radar APAR as well as the SMART-L long-range radar which is claimed to be capable of detecting stealth aircraft and stealth missiles. Although designated as frigates, they are in capability and size comparable to destroyers.

At €2.8 billion for only four ships, this was one of the most expensive ship building programs of the German Navy. They are similar to the Dutch De Zeven Provinciën-class frigates. Both the Sachsen class and the De Zeven Provinciën-class frigates are based on the use of a common primary anti-air warfare system built around the APAR and SMART-L radars and the area-defence SM-2 Block IIIA and point-defence Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) surface-to-air missiles.

In June 1996 the German government contracted for three ships with an option on a fourth that was provisionally to have been named as the BMS Thüringen, but the option for this fourth ship was not taken up.

The F124-class frigates are larger and much more capable in all aspects than the Lütjens-class destroyers, which they replaced.

Specifications

 * Type: Guided Missile Frigate
 * Service Period: 2003-Present
 * Characteristics
 * Length: 469 feet 2 inches (143 meters)
 * Beam: 57 feet 2.6 inches (17.44 meters)
 * Draft: 16 feet 4.85 inches (5.0 meters)
 * Displacement: 6,393.41 tons
 * Crew: 243
 * Propulsion:
 * CODAG (combined diesel and gas)
 * 2 x propeller shafts, controllable pitch propellers
 * 2 x MTU V20 diesel engines, 7.4 MW each
 * 1 x General Electric LM2500 gas turbine
 * 2 x Renk ASM 195 F gearboxes (for the diesel engines)
 * 1 x Renk AS 2/290 gearbox (gas turbine and cross connection)
 * 4 x 1000 kW Deutz 16/628 diesel-generators
 * Range: 4,400 nautical miles (8,150 kilometers)
 * Speed: 30 knots (55.56 km/hr)
 * Sensor Suite:
 * 1 x Thales Nederland SMART-L long-range air and surface surveillance radar (D band)
 * 1 x Thales Nederland APAR air and surface search, tracking and guidance radar (I band)
 * 1 x Thales Nederland Sirius IRST long-range infrared surveillance and tracking system (fitted for but not with)
 * 2 x STN Atlas 9600-M multi-function I/J band ARPA radars
 * 1 x STN Atlas MSP 500 electro-optical fire control system
 * 1 x STN Atlas DSQS-24B bow sonar
 * Link 11 Communications System
 * Link 16 Communications System
 * Link 22 Communications System
 * Countermeasures:
 * 1 x FL 1800 S II ECM suite
 * 6 x Sippican Hycor SRBOC launcher
 * Armament:
 * 1 x OTO-Melara 76mm naval gun
 * 2 x Mauser MLG-27 27mm guns
 * 1 x 32-cell Mk.41 VLS (fires RIM-156 SM-2ER Block IV and RIM-162 ESSM)
 * 2 x 21-cell Mk.49 Rolling Airframe Missile Launchers (fires RIM-174 ERAM)
 * 2 x 4-cell Mk.141 Launchers (fires RGM-84 Harpoon and RBS.15 AShMs)
 * 2 x triple fire torpedo tubes (fires Eurotorp MU90 Impact torpedoes)
 * Aircraft Carried: 1 x NHIndustries NH90

Unit Run

 * BMS Sachsen (F219)
 * BMS Hamburg (F220)
 * BMS Hessen (F221)
 * BMS Thüringen (F222)