First German Navy MEKO Frigate By 2029 After Funding Agreed

An artist’s impression of the new MEKO A-200 DEU frigates at sea. Image: TKMS

14/07/2026

The first MEKO frigate could be in the hands of the German Navy by 2029 after its Government rubber-stamped the €6.3 billion deal.

The budget committee of the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, has approved the funding needed for the first four multipurpose MEKO A-200 DEU warships, as per a press statement from TKMS.

The shipbuilder also said an option to acquire further frigates was still on the cards; when it cancelled the the F126 project the Federal Ministry of Defence indicated it wanted to procure eight of the MEKO vessels.

As per a German Navy statement the first four MEKO frigates will cost about €6.3 billion; an option for four more ships may be exercised by the end of this year for an additional €5.3 billion.

A TKMS statement said the way was now clear for the formal signing of the contract, which will represent the largest surface vessels contract in the firm’s history. The company pledged the first frigate would be delivered to the German Navy as early as 2029.

Its CEO Oliver Burkhard commented: “This decision is an important step toward strengthening the capabilities of the German Navy. We are aware of our responsibility to build these ships very quickly due to the security situation, as stipulated in the contracts.

“We will now address this together with our industry partners from across Germany. Timeline delivery is a key factor for us here.”

Last month Germany announced it was axing its F126 frigate programme, blaming rising costs and project delays which meant that the original prime contractor Damen Naval had been unable to meet the scheduled production timetable.

The original plan had been for delivery of the first ship with initial operational capability to the German Navy by mid-2028 and all six frigates available by 2033.

The MoD had looked into whether Rheinmetall’s Naval Division (formerly Naval Vessels Lürssen) could take over the programme but concluded it would involve “enormous cost increases, and incalculable risks.”