Braunschweig-class (K130)

Summary

Description

The K130 Braunschweig class is the German Navy's most recent class of ocean-going corvettes, designed for stealth with reduced radar and infrared signatures, as well as to meet NATO requirements for littoral operations. The first five ships of this class have been commissioned to replace the older Gepard-class fast attack craft. The German government, responding to NATO's expectation for Germany to provide four high-readiness corvettes by 2018, announced a second batch of five additional corvettes to be procured. However, the delivery of these has been delayed, with a cost overrun and a two-year delay reported for the lead vessel of the second batch as of September 2022.

The Braunschweig-class corvettes are fitted with modern equipment, including UMS Skeldar V-200 helicopter UAVs for remote scouting. Although the hangar is too small for standard helicopters, the flight deck can accommodate Sea Kings, Lynx, or NH-90s. Originally intended to be armed with the Polyphem missile system, the corvettes are instead equipped with the RBS-15 Mk3 anti-ship missile due to the cancellation of the Polyphem program. The RBS-15 Mk3 enables the corvettes to engage both sea and land targets and will eventually be upgraded to the Mk4 version for enhanced range and resistance to electronic countermeasures.

Regarding classification, these vessels lack an executive officer and antisubmarine warfare capabilities, leading to some difficulty in categorizing them as ships or boats. The German Navy has referred to them as ships based on their size, armament, and endurance, and the corvettes' commanding officers hold company-level disciplinary powers similar to those in the German Army.

The ships were not built at a single shipyard but rather through a consortium of shipyards where sections were constructed simultaneously before being assembled. The contracting for the initial five corvettes began in December 2001 among several German shipyards, with the Braunschweig being the first to be launched in April 2006 and commissioned in April 2008. Issues with gearings, air-conditioning, and toxin exposure delayed some commissioning dates. Subsequent contracts for additional ships have faced challenges, including a voided contract due to violation of procurement law and reshuffling of shipbuilding responsibilities among different shipyards.

Internationally, Israel ordered four Sa'ar 6-class corvettes, a design based on the Braunschweig class but with alterations for increased military robustness. As for the future outlook, there are considerations for building a third batch of corvettes, with the possibility of selling the first batch to a NATO ally to avoid modernization costs.

Technical specifications