Press releases

5/25/23

thyssenkrupp Marine Systems hands over second frigate for Egyptian Navy

  • The Egyptian Navy accepted the MEKO® A-200 EN frigate at a ceremony in Bremerhaven.

  • During the handover ceremony, the vessel was named “AL-QAHHAR”.

  • It is the second in a series of four ships ordered by the Egyptian Navy.

On May 26th, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems handed over a frigate to the Navy of the Arab Republic of Egypt. It is the second in a series of four MEKO® A-200 EN frigates. The ceremony in Bremerhaven, which was attended by high-ranking Egyptian and German Navy officials, also included the naming of the vessel. The Commander in Chief of the Egyptian Navy, Vice Admiral Ashraf Ibrahim Atwa, named the ship “AL-QAHHAR”, meaning “The Irresistible Subduer”.

“This project is considered a role model for many countries in the field of joint military industrialization,” stated Vice Admiral Atwa. “Today, with the delivery of the ‘AL-QAHHAR’ frigate, our project has reached its midway.”

“With today’s handover ceremony, we add a further highlight to the excellent relationship between the Egyptian Navy and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems,” said Paul Glaser, CFO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. “The ongoing cooperation on naval surface vessels and submarines is one of the cornerstones of the long-term partnership between our two countries. The first-of-class ship ‘AL-AZIZ’ is already in service and has since proven its technical capabilities and reliability, and its sister ship ‘AL-QAHHAR’ will be just as successful.”

In its class, the MEKO® A-200 EN is one of the most powerful warships in service today. The next-generation vessels are more than 121 metres long, 16 metres wide and have a maximum speed of more than 29 knots. Featuring a stealthy design, the frigates are dedicated to taking on the role of the new central combat platform of the Egyptian Navy. Each ship will possess an extensive range of both defensive and offensive capabilities.

In total, the Arab Republic of Egypt ordered four structurally identical vessels, with the firstthree units being produced in Germany and the fourth vessel being built by AlexandriaShipyard in Egypt. The building contract was signed in September 2018. Construction work on “AL-QAHHAR” started in December 2019, with keel laying in March 2020 and launching in August 2021. She will start the journey to her homeport in Alexandria in a few days. The next milestone in this project will be the handover of the third vessel of the series, “ALQADEER”, later this year.

5/10/23

Israel Aerospace Industries and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK unveil a joint development integrated in the BlueWhale uncrewed submarine

On May 10th, Israel Aerospace Industries and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, a company of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, officially launched their latest joint development for advanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions at the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) Conference and Exhibition in Rostock, Germany. In a festive ceremony at ELTA’s exhibition booth, Eyal Shapira, Vice President and General Manager of ELTA’s division for Air Defense and Naval Systems, and Michael Ozegowski, Chief Executive Officer of ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, unveiled the joint development, demonstrating an important milestone in the long-standing partnership between thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and the Israeli industry.

Based on ELTA's sophisticated BlueWhale autonomous underwater multi-mission platform, a large uncrewed underwater vehicle with a wide range of advanced sensor systems, the system incorporates ATLAS ELEKTRONIK’s unique, towed passive sonar triplet array. In contrast to existing towed sonars, the combined system is designed to function at depths traditionally exploited by submarines to avoid detection. A transmitter developed by ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, deployed from an autonomous or crewed surface vessel, enables the bistatic location and tracking of submarine targets by BlueWhale ASW.

IAI is a pioneer in the field of uncrewed systems in the air, land, space and sea domains. The world’s first uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) was developed by IAI for the Israel Defense Forces. During recent decades, IAI became a leader for robotic ground systems, uncrewed vessels, loitering munitions and more. The BlueWhale ASW platform has been successfully tested for thousands of diving hours, performing a wide range of missions, including ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance), EW/ESM (Electronic Warfare Support Measures) and MCM (Mine Countermeasures).

During the presentation of BlueWhale ASW at UDT, Michael Ozegowski, Chief Executive Officer of ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, highlighted the excellent partnership between the two companies spanning decades: “The joint development of BlueWhale ASW demonstrates once again the long-standing and trusting cooperation between German and Israeli naval industry partners. In close collaboration with ELTA, we developed a state-of-the-art system solution enabling high-impact ASW operations with minimum infrastructure requirements.

The ATLAS ELEKTRONIK towed passive sonar triplet array and advanced transmitter solution is optimized for long-endurance autonomous operations. A solution that meets operational needs and capabilities in an efficient and cost-effective way.”

Eyal Shapira, Vice President and General Manager of ELTA’s division for Air Defense and Naval Systems, said: “This new joint development is a result of the close relationship between IAI ELTA and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, and between Germany and Israel. BlueWhale ASW will rely on ELTA’s extensive experience in the realm of machine learning and AIdriven autonomous systems together with the company’s advanced payloads, including AESA radars, SIGINT systems and secure, long-range communication systems. Highly developed, on-board processing ensures that the incoming intelligence data is exploited in a timely and efficient manner.”

The ATLAS ELEKTRONIK towed sonar array incorporates the company’s legacy of more than 100 years in the design, development and production of naval systems. It is based on the company’s proven ACTAS (Active Towed Array Sonar) platform, a deep-water sonar system originally designed for surface vessel deployment. The system utilizes a lowfrequency sonar system that facilitates excellent area coverage while maintaining high sensitivity at depths previously beyond the reach of conventional sonar systems.

Technical specifications of BlueWhale ASW:

  • Length: 10.9 m

  • Diameter: 1.12 m

  • Weight: 5.5 t

  • Endurance: 10 – 30 days (depending on the mission)

  • Speed, operational: 2 – 3 knots, max. 7 knots (submerged)

  • Depth rating capability: 300 m

About ATLAS ELEKTRONIK

The ATLAS ELEKTRONIK Group stands for maritime and naval solutions above and below the ocean surface. The company holds a leading position in all fields of maritime high technology, from command & control systems including radio & communication systems for submarines, surface combatants and mine warfare systems and ranging to heavyweight torpedoes, coastal surveillance systems and in-service support. ATLAS ELEKTRONIK has established a worldwide customer portfolio. The electronics specialist is an operational unit within thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The company has a workforce of around 2.500 highly skilled employees. More information at: www.atlas-elektronik.com

4/27/23

U17 tritt letzte Reise an

Das seit 2010 außer Dienst gestellte U-Boot U17 wird am 28. April 2023 seine letzte Reise in Richtung Sinsheim antreten. Nach einer spannenden und herausfordernden Dienstzeit beginnt es damit ein neues Leben als Museums-U-Boot.

An dem Ort, wo U17 im Jahre 1970 als moderne Unterwassereinheit der damaligen Bundesmarine gebaut wurde, ist es 53 Jahre später wieder demilitarisiert worden. In den vergangenen Wochen wurde das Boot von thyssenkrupp Marine Systems demilitarisiert und bereit gemacht für die letzte große Fahrt nach Sinsheim, wo es als Museums-U-Boot eine neue Mission bekommt.

Am 28. April 2023 wird U17 dafür aus dem Dock gehoben und auf ein Schwimmponton verladen. In den frühen Morgenstunden des 29. April wird ein Schlepper das Schwimmponton durch den Nord-Ostsee-Kanal in Richtung Nordsee transportieren. Dort wird es durch die Niederlande auf der Waal und über den Rhein wieder nach Deutschland einreisen. Geplante Ankunft im Technik Museum Speyer ist der 21. Mai 2023, wo es zunächst weiter aufgearbeitet wird und später nach Sinsheim transportiert wird. Durch einen am U-Boot angebrachten GPS-Tracker besteht die Möglichkeit, den Transport in Echtzeit zu verfolgen.

Ende eines langen Arbeitslebens U17 ist bereits seit über einem Jahrzehnt außer Dienst gestellt und liegt seither mit drei weiteren U-Booten seiner Klasse im Marinearsenal. Im Gegensatz zu U17 haben die drei weiteren U-Boote (U15, U16 und U18) keine Chance auf eine weitere Verwendung. Diese werden bereits beim Kieler Schrotthandel (KSH) zerlegt und ihre Materialien verwertet und recycelt. U17 findet einen neuen Heimathafen im Binnenland: Das Technik Museum Sinsheim und unterstützend der Verband Deutscher Ubootfahrer e.V. arbeiten seit langer Zeit daran, das U-Boot als Ausstellungsobjekt im Technik Museum Sinsheim unterzubringen.

Zum Hintergrund: Im Juni 1970 wurde die traditionelle Kiellegung von U17 in Kiel gefeiert und im November 1973 feierte die damalige Bundesmarine die Indienststellung von U17. In den frühen 1970er- und 1980er-Jahren waren die U-Boote der Klasse 206 das

Nonplusultra für küstennahe Einsätze in Nord- und Ostsee, um die Herausforderungen des Kalten Krieges zu meistern. Insgesamt 18 U-Boote der Klasse 206 wurden in den 1970er-Jahren von der Howaldtswerke-Deutschen Werft (HDW) für die Bundesmarine gebaut. Im Verteidigungsfall hätte ihre Hauptaufgabe in der Bekämpfung gegnerischer Landungsverbände bestanden. Darüber hinaus wurden Einsätze gegen gegnerische Überwasserkräfte im Nordflankenraum der NATO geplant. Bei Übungen gegen große, gut geschützte Flottenverbände erwiesen sich die Boote als äußerst schwer ortbar, und es gelang ihnen sogar, in die Sicherung US-amerikanischer Flugzeugträgerverbände einzudringen. Mit Fall des Eisernen Vorhangs und der Wiedervereinigung Deutschlands Ende der 1980er-Jahre wurde aus der Bundesmarine die Deutsche Marine und einige U-Boote der Klasse 206 wurden modernisiert und als Klasse 206 A eingesetzt, um sich neuen Aufgaben zu stellen. U17 war übrigens das erste deutsche U-Boot der jungen Deutschen Marine, welches den Atlantik überquerte.

Nach beinahe 40 Jahren Dienstzeit hieß es im Dezember 2010: „Hol nieder Flagge und Wimpel!“ U17 und andere U-Boote seiner Klasse wurden in Eckernförde außer Dienst gestellt und durch die neue Klasse 212 A ersetzt.

Mit Stolz in ein neues Leben

Für thyssenkrupp Marine Systems ist die Geschichte von U17 ein Erfolg: Die 18 konventionellen U-Boote der Klasse 206 wurden in Kiel und Emden gebaut und erwiesen sich in ihrem Dienst als sehr erfolgreich. Hunderte Werftmitarbeitende haben in den 1970er-Jahren ihre Kompetenz und Arbeitskraft in diese Boote gesteckt. Umso erfreulicher ist es für ehemalige und aktive Werftangehörige, wenn „ihre“ Produkte nach einer langen Dienstzeit nicht einfach nur verwertet, sondern „am Leben“ erhalten werden. U17 wird im Technik Museum Sinsheim noch viele weitere Jahre die Faszination U-Boot und den Stolz von Werftarbeitenden und selbstverständlich U-Bootfahrern aufrechterhalten.

Kursbuch und Live-Tracking: Alle Stationen auf einen Blick und Live-Tracking des Transports unter https://www.technik-museum.de/de/u17

Technische Daten U17, Klasse 206A:

Länge
48,6 m (Lüa)

Breite
4,6 m

Tiefgang
4,5 m

Verdrängung
aufgetaucht:
450 t

getaucht:
498 t

Besatzung:
23 Personen

Maschine:
2 × Dieselelektrisch

2 MTU-12-Zyl.-Diesel

1 × SSW-Elektrofahrmotor

Maschinenleistung: 1.500 PS

bzw. 2 × 440 kW

1 × 1.100 kW

Aktionsradius:
ca. 4.500 NM bei 6 kn Überwasser,

ca. 280 NM bei 4 kn getaucht sm

Einsatzdauer:
30 Tage

Tauchtiefe,
max.: 100 m

Höchstgeschwindigkeit Getaucht:
17 kn

Höchstgeschwindigkeit Aufgetaucht:
10 kn

Safety first! Because we care.

When it comes to the safety of our employees, we don't joke around. At thyssenkrupp Marine Systems all colleagues should be safe. David Mißfelder, Head of Occupational Safety and Health at our Kiel shipyard told us how his team meets this challenge.

A great kick-off for our new platform

"Technology Conventions 2020“ in Kiel this week! With naval specialists from #MarineSystems and selected suppliers, the first technology discussion focused on REP-floors - standardized floor plates for #submarines and #surfacevessels. Insights from #Engineering and Supply Chain Management as well as field reports from our #SeaTrial team laid the foundation for the joint workshops sharing the latest functional and strategic trends in the marine systems industry. We are looking forward to the next "Technology Conventions“ this summer for more exciting dialogues on #innovation, #digitalization and marine technology. Attendance by invitation only. To participate, please reach out to our colleagues at Techcon2020.tkms@thyssenkrupp.com.

Cem Selvi and his team make trainees fit for the shipyard

People come first: Cem Selvi and the training team at the Kiel shipyard educate and support their apprentices and dual students from start to finish of their training at #thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and weld the young people together as a team! #career

ADLiS® - The New Dimension in Network-based Operations. For all Nations.

It's simply a tactical decision. #ADLiS® is the #data link system from our experts at #AtlasElektronik. It opens up new dimensions in network-based operations by combining all information at the highest speed and enabling the #tactical situation to be recorded. It links people, platforms, sensors and weapons. This greatly increases the command speed and the combat strength of the entire unit.

Today, Germany's most modern

#frigate was put into service and officially commissioned: The F125 "Nordrhein-Westfalen“. The ship is the second of a total of four frigates which are available to the #GermanNavy. Their strength lies not only in fulfilling the traditional tasks of national and alliance defence, but also in their design for conflict prevention and crisis management as well as intervention and stabilization operations on an international scale. We look forward to the handing over of the third and fourth ships which are planned to take place successively until 2021. #BadenWürttembergKlasse

On today’s #IntellectualPropertyDay,

we are celebrating 125 years of patent history at @thyssenkrupp. Every year, thyssenkrupp developers file #patents for about 600 new #inventions worldwide. On our way to become the most modern naval company in Europe, we at @thyssenkrupp Marine Systems are working on new innovations every day. For example, when developing an underwater vehicle that prevents unnecessary by-catch and saves the ecology of oceans around the world: https://lnkd.in/dBFJc4T

A new standard for unmanned underwater operations:

The Modifiable Underwater Mothership (MUM). Today, we proudly presented the results of a pioneering research project on large modular underwater vehicles. Designed in collaboration with project partners from science and industry, MUM could now permanently change the way #underwater research is conducted. The high-tech asset for the civil #maritimeindustry is powered by a state-of-the-art, emission-free fuel cell. Independent of wind and weather, MUM can operate 24/7, 365 days a year. Norbert Brackmann, German government coordinator for the maritime industry, visited our shipyard in Kiel to experience the project progress and the technological innovations developed by our maritime experts. To further the research, we will now apply for funding for a MUM large-scale demonstrator as part of the Economic Ministry’s Maritime Research Programme.

Fascination deep sea: Autonomous submarines tap previously unexplored seabed

On our way to become the most modern #naval company in Europe, we think beyond known waters. With #SeaCat our engineeres set out to explore the world's sea beds – a mystery to mankind. The unmanned #submarine, uses underwater mapping and footage to provide new insights into the mysterious world #underwater.