Video: German Navy’s First F125 Frigate Baden-Württemberg in Sea Trials

: Posted On Wednesday, 20 July 2016 10:13

Naval Forces News - Germany

Video: German Navy’s First F125 Frigate Baden-Württemberg in Sea Trials

The German Navy (Deutsche Marine) released a nice video showing the first F125 frigate conducting sea trials off the coast of Denmark. Viewers can see the “Baden-Württemberg” being put through several maneuvers (high speed turns, man-overboard maneuver) to verify the control of the ship. The crew consisting of German Navy sailors and civilian engineers are also testing systems onboard such as the TRS-4D radar system.

The F125 frigate "Baden-Württemberg" at sea during high speed turn maneuver
(source: Bundeswehr video)

The official handover to the German defense procurement agency (Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support or BAAIN) is expected to take place this month.

The F125-class frigates are built by ARGE F125 consortium, lead by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and supplemented by Blohm + Voss, Nordsweerke and Lurssen Werft. A total of four vessels will be built for the German Navy.

Video by Bundeswehr

The F125-class frigates are built by ARGE F125 consortium, lead by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and supplemented by Blohm + Voss, Nordsweerke and Lurssen Werft. A total of four vessels will be built for the German Navy. The “Baden-Württemberg” is scheduled for delivery in 2016 and the last one in 2019.

Although the F125-class ships are frigates their displacement is much larger, closer to that of a destroyer, as it reaches 7,200 tonnes. They are built to replace the eight Bremen-class frigates, which entered service in the ‘80s, and carry out a wide range of missions, both combat and humanitarian.

Their crew is comprised on average of 150 people, although that can change depending on the mission. The vessels’ main weapons are the Oto Melara 127/64 LW Alleggerito gun, 2 x remote-controlled 27 mm Rheinmetall MLG27 cannons, 5 x HITROLE naval turrets with 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, 8 x Boeing RGM-84 Harpoon missiles, 2 x Raytheon RIM-116 RAM CIWS systems and a series of non-lethal weapons.