The MEKO 200 is a

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

design by the

Blohm + Voss Blohm+Voss (B+V), also written historically as Blohm & Voss, Blohm und Voß etc., is a German shipbuilding and engineering company. Founded in Hamburg in 1877 to specialise in steel-hulled ships, its most famous product was the World War II battle ...

shipyard of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, as part of the

MEKO The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm+Voss. MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "''Mehrzweck-Kombination''" (English: multi-purpose-combination). It is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding b ...

family of warships.

Variants

''Anzac'' class (MEKO 200ANZ)

Ten MEKO 200 frigates were built to the ''Anzac''-class design: eight for the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

, and two for the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

. The

Australian Department of Defence Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

decided to upgrade their ''Anzac''s even before all ships were completed. The upgraded configuration includes

RGM-84 Harpoon The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security). The AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and later AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack Mi ...

anti-ship missiles fitted in two quad launchers, Evolved

Sea Sparrow RIM-7 Sea Sparrow is a U.S. ship-borne short-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapon system, primarily intended for defense against anti-ship missiles. The system was developed in the early 1960s from the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile as a ...

missiles quad-packed in VLS enabling 32 missiles to be carried, four

Nulka Nulka is an Australian-designed and -developed active missile decoy built by an American/Australian collaboration. Used aboard warships of the United States Navy (USN), Royal Australian Navy (RAN), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Royal Cana ...

active missile decoy bays, and the TSM 5424 Petrel mine and obstacle avoidance sonar system. All upgrades and new builds are scheduled for completion by 2006. In 2004

Tenix Tenix is a privately owned Australian company involved in a range of infrastructure maintenance and engineering products and services to the utility, transport, mining and industrial sectors in Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and ...

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB * Saab Automobile, a fo ...

, and the Australian Department of Defence formed a Private Public Partnership to upgrade the anti-ship missile defence capability of the ''Anzac'' class. This upgrade will include Sagem Vampir NG IRST (infra-red search and track) capability,

9LV 9LV is a Naval Combat Management System (CMS) from the Swedish company Saab Group, Saab. The 9LV was established when Philips Teleindustri AB (1975 renamed Philips Elektronikindustrier AB), a subsidiary of Philips of the Netherlands, was selected a ...

Combat Management System upgrade and

CEA Technologies CEA Technologies is an Australian defence contractor that primarily supplies the Royal Australian Navy. The company was established in 1983. History CEA Technologies was established in 1983, founded by two retired Royal Australian Navy personnel, ...

PAR 3D E/F band fixed active phased array radar and illuminator. A new main mast will be constructed to incorporate the CEAFAR and CEAMOUNT systems and maintain the existing 2D radar and electronic surveillance capabilities. The two RNZN frigates have been upgraded under the Future Systems Upgrade Program at Seaspan Shipyard in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The upgrades included the MBDA Sea Ceptor SAM (20 missiles), new soft kill self defence systems, Lockheed Martin Canada's CMS 330 Combat Management System, new sonar processing systems and an underwater communications system.

''Yavuz''/''Barbaros'' class (MEKO 200TN)

The Turkish variant, MEKO 200TN, is a modified MEKO 200 type multirole frigate. The first order for the

Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establi ...

was signed during April 1983 with two MEKO 200TN built in Germany and two built in the Gölcük shipyards in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. The vessels are also known as MEKO 200TN Track I or , after the lead ship of the family. Two more orders followed, each known as Track IIA and Track IIB. The ''Yavuz''-class frigates have adopted the

CODAD Combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) is a propulsion system for ships using two diesel engines to power a single propeller shaft. A gearbox and clutches enable either of the engines or both of them together to drive the shaft. Two advantages over ...

propulsion Propulsion is the generation of force by any combination of pushing or pulling to modify the translational motion of an object, which is typically a rigid body (or an articulated rigid body) but may also concern a fluid. The term is derived from ...

method with 4 MTU 20V Diesel engines, which require a substantial amount of maintenance. There were also questions over the selection of the Swiss manufactured

Sea Zenith Sea Zenith is a four- barrelled 25 mm CIWS used by the Turkish Navy on their MEKO 200 frigates, like the Barbaros and Yavuz classes. It was developed in the 1980s by Oerlikon Contraves ( Rheinmetall Air Defence since 2009) around their Oer ...

, an advanced

CIWS A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of la ...

system that was never previously used on any naval platform, but there have been no negative reports regarding the system's performance from the Turkish Navy. The later Track IIA frigates have incorporated major improvements including the

CODOG Combined diesel or gas (CODOG) is a type of propulsion system for ships that need a maximum speed that is considerably faster than their cruise speed, particularly warships like modern frigates or corvettes. For every propeller shaft there is o ...

propulsion method with two MTU 16V diesel engines and two LM2500-30 gas turbines, a greater displacement of 3,350 tons (full load) and the replacement of the older Mk-29 Sea Sparrow launcher with the Mk-41 Mod 8 VLS. These frigates are considered to be used not for naval superiority but rather as sea-denying assets that will try to inflict maximum damage to the enemy, while trying to keep friendly casualties low. MEKO200TN Track I/IIA/IIBs have a maximum speed of 27/31+ knots, with a range of at a speed of 20/22 knots. Their armament includes the FMC Mk 45 127 mm/54 caliber gun, eight

s, two triple-mounted Mk 32 324 mm torpedo tubes, and 8/16 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles. Electronic equipment includes the DA 08/ AWS-9 surface/air surveillance radar, the WM 25/ AWS 6 tracking radar, the TM 1226/ 2690BT ARPA navigation radar, and STACOS TU/FD Tactical Command and Control System. The Turkish frigates are also equipped with WM25/ COSYS DDWCS Fire Control System, a DE1160 sonar, and

Link 11 TADIL-A/Link 11 is a secure half-duplex tactical data link used by NATO to exchange digital data. It was originally developed by a joint committee including members from the Canadian Navy, US Navy and Royal Navy to pass accurate targeting inform ...

/14 VESTA CDL2, MCS2002 communication systems.

''Vasco da Gama'' class (MEKO 200PN)

The , a development of the MEKO 200 PN German concept, are major surface ships of the

Portuguese Navy The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Port ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

operates three ships of this class, which were built in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

by Blohm + Voss and later by HDW, using modular construction techniques. These vessels are unique in the MEKO 200 family as they are the only ones equipped with the

French 100mm naval gun Modern French 100 mm naval guns are multipurpose artillery pieces, capable of a high rate of fire. Most modern French warships are or were equipped with one of its versions. History At the end of the Second World War, the French Navy was eq ...

as their main gun. The project for the construction of three frigates of this class was authorized by the Portuguese Government in 1985, five years after the request of the Portuguese Navy for the acquisition of new surface ships.

''Hydra'' class (MEKO 200HN)

The MEKO frigates have high-level specifications for shock resistance, stiffness requirements for the fire control and radar systems, and blast and gas pressure resistance to retain the integrity of the on-board weapon systems. The hull is constructed of high tensile steel with a yield strength of S355 N/mm² 'structural steel grades'. The ship is divided into twelve self-sufficient watertight sections, which function almost independently of each other. Each compartment also has independent data transfer to the ship’s Naval Automation System, Nautos. The four s of the

Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of vari ...

of Greece are 3200-ton frigates of the MEKO 200HN design. The first of the four, ''Hydra'' was built by Blohm + Voss in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

and commissioned in 1992. The other three were constructed at the

Hellenic Shipyards Co. Hellenic Shipyards S.A. is a large shipyard in Skaramagas, in West Athens regional unit, Greece. History Commonly known as Skaramaga Shipyards (Greek: Ναυπηγεία Σκαραμαγκά), from the area where they are located, its origin ...

Skaramagas Skaramagas (also spelled Skaramangas; el, Σκαραμαγκάς) is a port town in the western part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. It is part of the municipality of Haidari. It is known for its large shipyard. It took its name by the Chio ...

. ''Spetsai'' was commissioned in 1996, ''Psara'' in 1998 and ''Salamis'' in 1999. Three ''Hydra''-class frigates were deployed in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

2002–2003.

''Valour'' class (MEKO A-200SAN)

Four s: , , and were constructed by Blohm + Voss for the

South African Navy The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force. The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery prot ...

between 2000 and 2005. The improved A-200SAN design incorporates new signature reduction measures. The combat management system is sourced from

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded him ...

. Two SuperLynx 300, one

Atlas Oryx The Atlas Oryx (named after the Oryx antelope) is a medium-sized utility helicopter ostensibly developed and manufactured by the Atlas Aircraft Corporation (now Denel Aeronautics) of South Africa. Its largest operator is the South African Air F ...

, two

AgustaWestland AW109 The AgustaWestland AW109, originally the Agusta A109, is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter designed and initially produced by the Italian rotorcraft manufacturer Agusta. It was the first all-Italian helicopter to ...

, one

Rooivalk The Denel Rooivalk (previously designated AH-2 and CSH-2) is an attack helicopter manufactured by Denel Aviation of South Africa. ''Rooivalk'' is Afrikaans for "Red Falcon", which refers to the lesser kestrel. Development of the type began in 19 ...

or various UAVs can be accommodated.

''Erradii'' class (MEKO A-200AN)

The

Algerian Navy , image = Algerian Naval badge.svg , image_size = 220px , caption = Algerian Naval badge , dates = 1516–18271963–present , country ...

operates two MEKO A-200AN frigates, ''Erradii'' (910) and ''El Moudamir'' (911). The MEKO A-200AN is based on the MEKO A-200SAN. The ships were ordered from

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems of Germany (often abbreviated TKMS) is a group and holding company of providers of naval vessels, surface ships and submarines. It was founded when large industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp acquired Howaldtswerke-Deuts ...

; construction was subcontracted to the ADM Kiel shipyard. There was an option for two more in 2014 but as of 2021 the number of ships in service was two. The MEKO A-200AN include the following equipment: * Oto Melara 127/64 LW 127 mm main gun * MSI-Defence 30 mm cannons *

Denel Dynamics Denel Dynamics, formerly Kentron, is a division of Denel SOC Ltd, a South African armaments development and manufacturing company wholly owned by the South African Government. It underwent a name change from Kentron to Denel Aerospace Systems dur ...

Umkhonto-IR surface-to-air missiles *

Diehl Defence Diehl Defence GmbH & Co. KG is a German arms manufacturer and a division of the Diehl Stiftung with headquarters in Überlingen. Diehl Defence mainly produces missiles and ammunition. Diehl BGT Defence was founded in 2004 as result of the merge ...

RBS-15 The RBS 15 (Robotsystem 15) is a long-range fire-and-forget surface-to-surface and air-to-surface anti-ship missile. The later version Mk. III has the ability to attack land targets as well. The missile was developed by the Swedish company Saab ...

Mk3 anti-ship missiles * Rheinmetall Defence MASS softkill decoy launchers * Saab Sea Giraffe AMB 3-D surveillance radar * Saab CEROS 200 radar/electro-optical fire control directors * Thales UMS4132 Kingklip sonar In 2016, ''Navy Recognition'' reported that the MEKO A-200AN was expected to use the

CODAG Combined diesel and gas (CODAG) is a type of propulsion system for ships that need a maximum speed that is considerably faster than their cruise speed, particularly warships like modern frigates or corvettes. Pioneered by Germany with the , a CO ...

-WARP (WAter jet and Refined Propellers) propulsion like the MEKO A-200SAN, with the MEKO A-200AN having a water-jet drive and two propellers.

''Al-Aziz'' class (MEKO A-200EN)

In December 2021, the German government approved the sale of 3 frigates to Egypt. This order was increased to 4 then to the current 6 frigates with some to be built in Egypt. The first vessel was handed over in October 2022. The MEKO A-200EN included the following equipment: * Oto Melara 127/64 LW 127 mm main gun * MSI-Defence 30 mm cannons * 32 VLS cells for VL MICA NG surface to air missiles * 8 Exocet anti-ship missiles * Rheinmetall Defence MASS softkill decoy launchers * NS-110 4D AESA radar ENS ''Al-Aziz'' was the first MEKO A-200EN frigates to be transferred to the Egyptian Navy on 14 October 2022.

Operators

* : 2 MEKO A-200AN (''Erradii'' class)''The Military Balance'' (2021): pg. 330 * : 8 MEKO 200ANZ (''Anzac'' class)''The Military Balance'' (2021): pg. 242 * : 4 MEKO 200HN (''Hydra'' class)''The Military Balance'' (2021): pg. 111 * : 3 MEKO 200PN (''Vasco da Gama'' class) * : 4 MEKO A-200SAN (''Valour'' class)''The Military Balance'' (2021): pg. 490 * : 8 MEKO 200TN (4 x Yavuz class, 4 x Barbaros class)''The Military Balance'' (2021): pg. 153 * : 2 MEKO 200ANZ (''Anzac'' class)''The Military Balance'' (2021): pg. 289 * : 1+(5) MEKO A-200EN (''Al-Aziz'' class) MEKO A-200EN frigates ordered. Germany approved the export of three German-built ships in December 2021. The last ship is to be built in Egypt.

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Thyssenkrupp-marinesystems.comNaval-technology.comMEKO A Class Combat Ship Family, Germany(Naval Technology)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meko 200 Frigate classes Frigates of Germany