F126 frigates with increasing bill

The F126 frigate programme for the German Navy is becoming an increasingly serious political problem. Delays, rising costs and the plan to buy smaller MEKO A-200 DEUs have put the current questionable course modernization Deutsche Marine.

According to the agency Reuters, citing the findings of the Financial Times, Rheinmetall is to present the terms of the takeover of the program after a few months review of the documentation and the state of work. An amount of approximately EUR 12 billion is involved and the delivery of the first frigate at the earliest in 2032.

Damen, NVL and Rheinmetall entry into the game

Originally for the program frigate F126 answered Damen Naval. In time, however, the project began to slow down and delays became so serious that the German defence ministry acknowledged that the schedule on the Dutch contractor's side had clearly shifted. This opened the way for talks about the bridge solution, i.e. buying the MEKO A-200 DEU frigate.

Rheinmetall, which took over Naval Vessels Lürssen in March 2026, wants to enter the role of a new general contractor. According to Reuters, the company hopes to finalise the agreement in the second quarter of 2026.

MEKO A-200 DEU as a bridge solution

In parallel, the Bundestag agreed to take measures to safeguard the future construction of four frigates of type MEKO A-200 DEU. The Federal Ministry of Defence defines them as a bridge and complementary solution to the F126. The objective is to maintain Deutsche Marine's capabilities, especially in the fight against submarines, until the major frigates enter service. F126. The first frigate MEKO A-200 DEU would be delivered by the end of 2029.

It is this element that raises the most serious questions. Since MEKO A-200 DEU is supposed to close the gap until F126, but the first F126 can only appear in 2032, the time window for the "bridge" is only a few years. At the cost of billions of euros, this is hardly a purely technical decision. This is a dispute over Deutsche Marine's direction of development.

Too expensive, too late, without sure effect

The biggest problem with the F126 programme today is the loss of predictability. Ships designed as the future core of German water forces are becoming increasingly expensive, increasingly later and increasingly difficult to defend politically. From the point of view of the Navy, delay means a capacity gap. From the point of view of the taxpayer, it means an account that grows faster than the assurance that the end result will meet the needs of the 1930s.

Therefore, Berlin is faced with a decision which cannot be brought into price negotiations with industry anymore. Germany must respond whether they want to save the F126 at the price of another billion euros, or whether they want to rebuild the plan to modernise the fleet around smaller, faster available frigate MEKO A-200 DEU or a completely new design.