• Oliver Burkhard and Friedrich Lürssen sign agreement to cooperate on the construction of the future F127 frigates

• The joint venture pools expertise, strengthens innovative energy and accelerates delivery to increase the defense capability of the Federal Republic of Germany

At SMM 2024, the leading major trade fair for the maritime industry, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and NVL announced the planned establishment of a joint venture and signed a cooperation agreement. The aim of the cooperation is to jointly realize the construction of the MEKO A-400 AMD – a pioneering ship concept from thyssenkrupp Marine Systems that was specially developed to meet the requirements of a German Navy air defense frigate.

The cooperation agreement was signed by Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, and Friedrich Lürssen, shareholder of the NVL Group. As the principal shareholder in the joint venture, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems will play a leading role in the development and production of the Type F127 with its MEKO A-400 design, while NVL will contribute its extensive manufacturing capabilities and many years of experience in the construction of naval vessels to the cooperation. The exact structure of the work packages will be determined at a later stage. The cooperation will generate considerable synergies and make a significant contribution to strengthening and securing key national technologies in the field of naval shipbuilding. The planned cooperation was approved by the Federal Cartel Office on 2 September.

“We have already made considerable investments in the development of the MEKO A-400 technology and in the expansion of construction capacities at the Wismar site. Now it is up to the politicians to successfully drive forward the project for the successor to the F124 and provide it with the necessary funding. With the signing of this contract, we are setting an important milestone for the construction and operational readiness of a completely new type of frigate,” explained Oliver Burkhard during the signing ceremony. He added: “The sole purpose of establishing this joint venture is to implement the future frigate program. This is all because commissioning the construction of the new F127 is urgently required in terms of security policy. The serious geopolitical situation demands the fastest possible realization and closing of a capability gap. The F127 must not be put on the back burner!”

Friedrich Lürssen emphasized: “The new air defense frigate is a key project for surface vessel shipbuilding in Germany. Through our cooperation, we are creating the industrial prerequisites for further technological development at a high level, sustainably strengthening our competitiveness in military surface vessel shipbuilding, and securing and expanding important industrial jobs at the shipyards and in the national supply industry.”

The MEKO A-400 AMD extends existing capability profiles with an improved energy supply for future weapon and command systems; in addition, the new type of hull offers more space for the installation of missiles and a higher cruising speed for multinational task forces. This means that the new frigate type can be equipped with a combination of novel defense missiles to combat threats from the air and engage several targets simultaneously at previously unreachable distances using long-range missiles. At the same time, the frigate can also be used against sea and land targets as well as for submarine hunting. Equipping the ship with systems that meet NATO requirements will also ensure integration and cooperation in NATO’s transatlantic strategy with this ship design.

Both companies also emphasized the military significance of the F127 project: The current Type F124 ships will reach the end of their service lifetime in the next few years. Extending the utilization period of the “Sachsen class” currently in service makes neither military nor economic sense.

The joint venture will be based in Hamburg and will act as the project company for the construction of the future F127 frigates. thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and NVL are thus creating the fundamental conditions for construction of the new frigate to begin as early as 2025. As things stand at present, the ships will be built by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in Wismar and by NVL in Hamburg and Wolgast, among other sites. The German Navy wants the first ship to be ready for deployment in 2034; the prerequisite for this goal is that orders are received promptly.

“As project partners, we are joining forces to rapidly close the looming capability gap in seabased air defense, to secure the future of the key technology of naval shipbuilding in Germany and to equip the German Navy with state-of-the-art equipment,” said the two company leaders.

• Naming ceremony of the most modern frigate "Tamandaré"

• Brazilian President and Minister of Defense participated in the ceremony

• After the delivery of the Egyptian frigates in record time, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems reached the next milestone

On August 9th, the Brazilian Navy, the procurement agency EMGEPRON, and the company Águas Azuis, which was founded by thyssenkrupp, Embraer Defense & Security, and Atech, jointly celebrated the naming of the first of four frigates, which took place at the thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul shipyard in Itajaí, Santa Catarina. The 550 invited guests included the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as well as the Brazilian Minister of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro, and other high-ranking representatives from Germany and Brazil. The godmother of the ship ‘Tamandaré’ was Vera Brennand, wife of the Brazilian Minister of Defense.

Itajaí is the hub for South America with a production area of 310,000 square meters. These framework conditions support thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in serving its customers even faster and combining the production of highly innovative products throughout the entire region. The shipyard is characterized by highly specialized plant facilities, sufficient production capacity and good infrastructure, for example a state-of-the-art floating dock with a capacity of 7,000 tons. This sets a promising course for Marine Systems that offers the prospect of taking on follow-on orders and favors the strengthening of regional value creation structures.

Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems: “As ‘Maritime Powerhouse’, we combine all technical solutions under one roof, command global production capacities and provide our customers with customized solutions. Brazil is our hub for South America, which underlines our close partnership with the Brazilian Navy in particular. The Tamandaré class ships have the latest technological standards and also ensure high local added value. Our partnership is a win for Brazil as well as for thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. My heartfelt thanks therefore go to everyone involved – President Lula da Silva, the Brazilian Navy, Águas Azuis and our approximately 900 employees.”

To further strengthen its competitiveness and flexibility to answer customer needs, not only in the supply of high-class vessels but also for after-sales services, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems recently invested significantly in its Brazilian shipyard by purchasing a swim dock for the launching and re-docking of vessels. This is to be seen as a clear commitment by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems for its long-term engagement in the region.

The naming of the frigate with the construction number F200 marks another milestone in the surface vessel sector of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. With a length of 107 meters, a displacement of 3,500 tons and a top speed of 25 knots, the Brazilian frigate offers impressive values. Renowned for its expertise, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is developing and producing cutting-edge submarines and surface ships, while consistently delivering reliable and high-performance maritime defense systems to navies around the world. This makes it the only supplier in Germany to bring together the surface vessel and submarine sectors all under one roof, including naval electronics.

Recently, the company built state-of-the-art frigates for Egypt in record time and developed a design proposal for the MEKO A-400 AMD after thorough preliminary work. Additionally, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems has submitted a bid for Australia.

To maintain the competitive edge and accelerate the growth of the company, thyssenkrupp as owner and the global investment company Carlyle are exploring potential cooperation within the scope of the planned independence of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The companies have agreed to enter into an in-depth review and valuation. The subject of this valuation is a possible partial sale to Carlyle. At the same time, talks are underway with the German government and KfW Bank regarding the state’s participation in thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.

The Brazilian Navy, the procurement agency EMGEPRON, and the company Águas Azuis, which was founded by thyssenkrupp, Embraer Defence & Security, and Atech, jointly celebrated the keel laying of the country’s most modern frigate. The ceremony took place on June 6, 2024 at the thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul shipyard in Itajaí. The new frigate, the “Jerônimo de Albuquerque”, is the second ship in Brazil’s Tamandaré-class frigate program, for which a total of four units are to be built. These MEKO® class ships combine cutting-edge technology and robust combat capabilities.

The Tamandaré program is considered Brazil’s most innovative naval construction project and was developed with the help of local manpower and a technology transfer managed by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. In 2020, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems signed an agreement to acquire the shipyard in Itajaí, Brazil, where a current total of 1,300 people are employed in the Tamandaré program. The site is of key strategic importance: It will later be expanded into a hub for South America to ensure faster customer service and local value creation and to enable a reliable network.

“We are delighted to be able to celebrate another success in the surface vessel sector, as well. The construction of the most modern frigate for Brazil not only highlights our ambitions in international surface ship construction, but is also helping to bolster our relationships in the whole of South America,” said Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. “In the future,” he added, “we want to develop our leadership in products into a leadership in systems. This means offering not only the best subsystems, but also the best integrated solution. To make this possible, we are working towards achieving a new and improved position as a maritime powerhouse, which will allow us to secure and expand our status as a leading naval company.”

The keel laying of the frigate with the construction number F201 marks another milestone in the surface vessel sector. It builds on the successes of 2023, which saw the delivery of the third high-performance frigate for the Egyptian Navy in record time at the end of the year. The fourth frigate was launched at the beginning of December 2023 and is currently being completed in close cooperation with thyssenkrupp Marine Systems at Egypt’s Alexandria Shipyard.

thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is the only supplier in Germany to bring together the surface vessel and submarine sectors under one roof, including naval electronics. It also has sufficient production capacity and, with the acquisition of the state-of-the-art shipyard site in Wismar, has created additional facilities for building further boats at the same time.

In addition to its strong position in the surface vessel sector, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is the global market leader in the construction of conventional submarines: The start of production of the Type 212CD submarines for Germany and Norway – the largest order in the company’s history, the signing of a letter of intent to build new submarines for India, and the christening of the “Inimitable” for Singapore attest to the successes of recent months. Moreover, Marine Systems in Kiel is producing what are currently the largest submarines, boasting a length of around 70 meters and a displacement of around 2,000 tonnes. In addition, the company is currently in talks with other potential customers in surface vessel and submarine construction.

In order to meet constantly growing requirements, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems will continue its course of growth as a maritime powerhouse in the coming months, pushing ahead with integrated system solutions. To encourage this growth, it is seeking to shape its organizational development to harmonize with the decision to merge thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK. In addition, thyssenkrupp as owner and the global investment company Carlyle are exploring potential cooperation in the scope of the planned independence of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The companies have agreed to enter into an in-depth review and valuation. The subject of this valuation is a possible partial sale to Carlyle. At the same time, talks are underway with the German government and KfW Bank regarding the state’s participation in thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.

From an economic perspective, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is well positioned for the coming years. At the end of the 2022/23 financial year, its order backlog totaled around 13 billion euros.