Germany to Buy 127mm Calibre Practice Ammo for Warships

German Bundestag has given the green light to procure 127mm calibre practice ammunition for F125 Baden-Württemberg frigates.

The contract valued €33 million will initially include delivery of 7,000 training projectiles and propellant charges as well as reference ammunition. The framework agreement is expected to run between November 2020 and the end of 2027. The contract enables a total of up to 13,000 projectiles and the propellant charges, German Ministry of Defence said in a statement November 5.

The ammunition will be used for training sailors and when the on-board cannon is tested and calibrated following maintenance and repair work.

Baden-Württemberg-class frigates

The first automated Baden-Württemberg frigate was commissioned in June 2019, eight years after Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) was selected as prime contractor for the delivery of four 7000-ton frigates.

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This class of warships are designed and constructed by ARGE F125, a joint-venture of ThyssenKrupp and Lürssen to replace the eight Bremen-class frigates currently in service with the German Navy. They are touted to have the highest displacement among the frigates worldwide.

Two quadruple missile launchers for the Boeing RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile are installed on the missile deck forward of the funnel. The Harpoon missiles are armed with a 227kg warhead and use active radar homing. The missiles have a high subsonic speed (Mach 0.9) and a range of up to 130km.

The F125 has two 21-cell MK49 launchers armed with the Raytheon RIM-116 rolling airframe missile (RAM). The RAM point defence missile is a lightweight, infrared-homing, surface-to-air missile for deployment against incoming anti-ship cruise missiles.

The forward launcher is installed immediately forward of the bridge and the aft launcher is installed on the roof of the helicopter hangar just forward of the helicopter deck.