Work on the second of the German Navy’s three new Type 424 SIGINT reconnaissance vessels has started ahead of schedule, according to shipbuilder NVL.
A steel-cutting ceremony for the new vessel was held on Thursday last week at the Peene-Werft shipyard in Wolgast, Germany
NVL, the naval vessel arm of Lürssen, was commissioned to build the signals/intelligence-gathering (SIGINT) boats — officially designated as “fleet service ships” — in 2023, having designed them two years previously.
The 130-metre Type 424s, which the firm has previously described as “future-proof” will act as reconnaissance platforms for the German Navy. They will replace the Bundeswehr’s Oste-class vessels, which have been in service since the latter years of the 1980s.
The first of the Type 424s is scheduled to go into service in 2027, with all three boats due to be completed by 2029.
Tim Wagner, CEO of NVL, commented: “Just ten months after the start of construction of the first ship, we are now successfully continuing the series with the official steel cutting ceremony for the second of class.
“By adjusting our resources available and by increasing the involvement of the Peene-Werft shipyard in the construction process, we have been able to start steel work several months ahead of schedule. In doing so, we are responding to the current geopolitical challenges and the corresponding urgent need to accelerate defence procurement projects.”
Inspector of the Navy Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack has previously claimed that the new ships represent “a technical generational leap in sensor technology, data processing and data transfer.”
- You can read more details on the NVL website