Engineering:German corvette Köln
 Braunschweig-class corvette
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| History | |
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 Germany
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| Name: | Köln |
| Namesake: | Köln |
| Ordered: | September 2017 |
| Builder: | Lürssen-Werft, Bremen |
| Cost: | €400 million |
| Laid down: | 25 April 2019 |
| Launched: | 30 October 2020 |
| Commissioned: | Expected, 2025 |
| Identification: | Pennant number: F265 |
| Status: | Sea trials |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Braunschweig-class corvette |
| Displacement: | 1,840 tonnes (1,810 long tons) |
| Length: | 89.12 m (292 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 13.28 m (43 ft 7 in) |
| Draft: | 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 MTU 20V 1163 TB 93 diesel engines producing 14.8MW, driving two controllable-pitch propellers. |
| Speed: | 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph) |
| Range: | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)[1] |
| Endurance: | 7 days; 21 days with tender |
| Complement: | 65 : 1 commander, 10 officers, 16 chief petty officers, 38 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Electronic warfare & decoys: |
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| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | Helicopter pad and hangar for two Saab Skeldar |
Köln (F265) is the sixth ship of the Braunschweig-class corvette of the German Navy.
Developments
The K130 Braunschweig class (sometimes Korvette 130) is Germany 's newest class of ocean-going corvettes. Five ships have replaced the Gepard-class fast attack craft of the German Navy.
They feature reduced radar and infrared signatures ("stealth" beyond the Sachsen-class frigates) and will be equipped with two helicopter UAVs for remote sensing. Recently, the German Navy ordered a first batch of two UMS Skeldar V-200 systems for the use on the Braunschweig-class corvettes.[2] The hangar is too small for standard helicopters, but the pad is large enough for Sea Kings, Lynx, or NH-90s, the helicopters of the German Navy.
The German Navy has ordered the RBS-15 Mk4 in advance, which will be a future development of the Mk3 with increased range —400 km (250 mi)— and a dual seeker for increased resistance to electronic countermeasures.[3] The RBS-15 Mk3 has the capability to engage land targets.[4]
In October 2016 it was announced that a second batch of five more frigates is to be procured from 2022 to 2025.[5] The decision was in response to NATO requirements expecting Germany to provide a total of four corvettes at the highest readiness level for littoral operations by 2018, and with only five corvettes just two can be provided.[6]
In September 2017, the German Navy commissioned the construction of five more corvettes in a consortium of North German shipyards. Lürssen will be the main contractor in the production of the vessels. The contract is worth around 2 billion euros.[7][8] In April 2018, the German government announced the specific arrangements under which the five new K130s would be built.[9][10]
Construction and career
Köln's construction started in February and later laid down on 25 April 2019 by Lürssen-Werft in Bremen.[11] Her forecastle was built by Blohm+Voss and towed to Bremen to be assembled and launched on 20 October 2020.[12][13] She had been expected to be commissioned in 2023. However, in September 2022 it was reported that increasing difficulties in integrating the command and control systems for the Batch 2 ships had resulted in a cost growth of 401 million Euros and at least a two year delay for the completion of Köln.[14]
As of 31 October 2020, she was fitting out at Hamburg.[15] She began initial sea trials in July 2023, though her projected full in service date likely remained 2025.[16]
References
- ↑ "Corvette Braunschweig Handed Over" (Press release). ThyssenKrupp AG. 30 January 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
- ↑ BAAINBw Procures New Helicopter Drones for the Navy, Baainbw, 27 September 2018, http://www.baainbw.de/portal/a/baain/start/aktuell/allena/!ut/p/z1/hY9BC4JAEIX_kbOuaHZ0MU0RFQ3LvcSiixm2K8smHfrxrUTdojk8mPdmvmGAwgmoYMs4MD1KwSbTt9Q7Ez87ZHiLcVjuMEqcfeNWpEBFjKGB478RamL0owIENRfQGsbmN8OBGijQnludFFyvqrnQo9FBMS2VNUulpzW5K2USa-yhRXZIEHY-p-wnceI0jTzXDhNSrcArW9jju8u69WloL0z0Ey9lF7yN-Rb5ee4OL0TZoFE!/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/#Z7_B8LTL2922DPE20I3HV5RBO0OG3, retrieved 2 March 2019.
- ↑ "de:Neue Aufgaben der Marine mit moderner Ausrüstung" (in de). German Navy. 17 May 2004. http://www.marine.de/portal/a/marine/waffenun/korvette/braunschweig/neueaufg?yw_contentURL=/01DB070000000001/W26ARD6S756INFODE/content.jsp. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
- ↑ German Navy K130 Corvettes Ready for Saab RBS-15 Mk3 Anti-Ship Missiles, Navy recognition, 8 June 2016.
- ↑ "Fünf neue Korvetten für die Bundeswehr", Faz, https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/fuenf-neue-korvetten-fuer-die-bundeswehr-14481903.html.
- ↑ "German Navy to Get Five More K130 Braunschweig-class Corvettes", Navy recognition, 14 November 2016, http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2016/november-2016-navy-naval-forces-defense-industry-technology-maritime-security-global-news/4561-german-navy-to-get-five-more-k130-braunschweig-class-corvettes.html.
- ↑ "Germany awards €2.4bln contract for five new K130 corvettes". Naval Today. https://navaltoday.com/2017/09/13/germany-awards-e2-4bln-contract-for-five-new-k130-corvettes/.
- ↑ Kopp, Martin (13 September 2017). "Riesenauftrag von Bundeswehr: Blohm+Voss auf Jahre gerettet" (in de). Hamburger Abendblatt. https://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/article211919755/Riesenauftrag-von-der-Bundeswehr-Blohm-Voss-auf-Jahre-gerettet.html.
- ↑ "Four Shipyards Agree to Build New German Corvettes". www.defense-aerospace.com. April 9, 2018. http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/192245/four-shipyards-agree-to-build-new-german-corvettes.html.
- ↑ "Wie Blohm+Voss vom Bau neuer Korvetten profitiert" (in de-DE). Hamburger Abendblatt. 6 April 2018. https://www.abendblatt.de/wirtschaft/hafen-und-schifffahrt/article213939181/Wie-Blohm-Voss-vom-Bau-neuer-Korvetten-profitiert.html.
- ↑ "First Steel Cut for German Navy's Third K130 Batch 2 Corvette 'Karlsruhe'" (in en-US). 2020-08-13. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/08/first-steel-cut-for-german-navys-third-k130-batch-2-corvette-karlsruhe/.
- ↑ "Vor- und Hinterschiff vereint: Korvette komplett! | Regional" (in de). https://www.bild.de/regional/hamburg/hamburg-aktuell/vor-und-hinterschiff-vereint-korvette-komplett-73656786.bild.html.
- ↑ chiefdeunavy [@chiefdeunavy] (16 October 2020). "Ich habe noch eine richtig gute Nachricht zum Wochenende. Die Korvette #KÖLN #F265 ist ausgedockt. #Esgehtvoran #WIRSINDMARINE t.co/xncbzBaSKc" (in de). https://twitter.com/chiefdeunavy/status/1317156462502858753.
- ↑ "Germany's K130 Batch 2 Corvette Program 2 Years Behind Schedule". 17 October 2022. https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/euronaval-2022/2022/10/germanys-k130-batch-2-corvette-program-2-years-behind-schedule/.
- ↑ WarshipCam [@WarshipCam] (31 October 2020). "German Navy future Braunschweig-class corvette FGS Koln (F265) in Hamburg, Germany - taken from bridge cam of passing cruise ship - October 31, 2020 #koln #f265 t.co/C7sGtUPHm8" (in en). https://twitter.com/WarshipCam/status/1322551434584465410.
- ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (12 July 2023). "La nouvelle corvette allemande à la mer". https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/defense/la-nouvelle-corvette-allemande-a-la-mer.
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