German defence minister cancels world's largest frigate project; €2 billion already spent
Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has scrapped the world's largest frigate project, the F-126, ordering eight smaller MEKO A-200 frigates instead. Approximately €2.3-2.4 billion have already been invested in the cancelled project.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has decided to abandon plans for the world's largest frigate, the F-126, and instead order eight smaller MEKO A-200 class frigates, Der Spiegel reports. The decision caused ripples in the defence industry: shares of shipbuilder TKMS opened around ten percent higher on Wednesday, while industry giant Rheinmetall recorded a sharp loss.
The project was first launched during Ursula von der Leyen's tenure as defence minister. In 2020, Pistorius, then defence minister, ordered the super-frigate F-126 from the Dutch Damen shipyard. After delays and other problems, German shipbuilder Lürssen Naval Vessels — later acquired by Rheinmetall — took over the project in 2025.
According to estimates from Bundestag members cited by Die Welt, approximately €2.3 to €2.4 billion have already been invested in the frigate project. Originally six warships were to be procured; now eight appear likely. Each MEKO A-200 frigate is expected to cost around €1.6 billion, though the unit price for the second tranche is expected to be lower. The MEKO A-200 is considerably smaller than the F-126: it measures around 120 metres in length with a displacement of 4,200 tonnes, compared to the F-126's 166 metres and 10,500 tonnes displacement.
The navy's top brass has reportedly backed the defence minister's decision to revise the frigate plans. Meanwhile, Germany, the United Kingdom and France have been in discussions over whether to participate in minesweeping operations in the Strait of Hormuz to allow the vital global shipping lane to operate freely again following the Iran war. The growing strategic importance of the German navy is underscored by the recent dispatch of the frigate Fulda and support vessel Mosel to the Middle East, with around 140 Bundeswehr personnel on board. A ZDF Politbarometer poll found that 57 percent of respondents supported a Bundeswehr deployment in the Strait of Hormuz in the event of a lasting ceasefire, against 38 percent opposed.
