Germany scraps €10bn F126 frigate project, will buy eight smaller MEKO A-200s instead
Defence minister Boris Pistorius informed industry and lawmakers on Tuesday that the government will abandon the F126 multi-role frigate, the German navy's largest warship programme since World War II, and purchase eight smaller MEKO A-200 vessels from TKMS.
The decision
Bundesverteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius and senior officials told defence industry representatives and senior MPs on 23 June 2026 that the government no longer intends to build six F126 frigates. The programme, valued at around €10 billion, had been beset by years of delays and cost overruns. The ministry itself has not formally commented, but multiple sources confirmed the plans to Spiegel, Financial Times, and Handelsblatt.
The F126 was designed as a 166-metre, 10,000-tonne multi-purpose warship with a focus on anti-submarine warfare, a role that gained urgency after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Instead, Berlin will procure eight Meko A-200 frigates from the Kiel-based shipbuilder TKMS. These vessels are about 120 metres long, significantly smaller than the F126. Marine leadership supports the switch, according to the reports.
A broken supply chain
Dutch yard Damen Naval won the initial contract for four F126s in 2020; the order was later expanded to six units. But the project fell far behind schedule. Software problems and persistent communication difficulties between Germany's procurement agency and Damen led to repeated delays. As of the last planning update in May 2025, the first F126 would not have been ready before 2032 (four years later than originally planned). By late 2025, the government removed Damen as general contractor.
Rheinmetall's dashed ambitions
The Düsseldorf-based defence group Rheinmetall had positioned itself as the programme's rescue buyer. It purchased the specialised shipyard Naval Yards Lürssen for €1.5 billion earlier this year as part of an expansion beyond armoured vehicles and ammunition into naval shipbuilding. CEO Armin Papperger said in May that the company was close to signing a takeover contract for the F126 programme in a deal worth €12.8 billion, with the contract due to go before the Bundestag budget committee before the summer recess. Rheinmetall declined to comment on the cancellation reports.
No public statement was issued at the time of writing.
Interim solution becomes permanent
Already in March 2026, the defence ministry said it would buy four Meko A-200 frigates as a temporary bridge while the F126 delays continued. At that point, Berlin still insisted the F126 programme would go ahead. Tuesday's announcement turns that stopgap into the permanent plan, raising the total to eight hulls. About €2 billion in costs already sunk into the F126 are expected to be written off.
- Damen Naval wins contract for four F126 frigates
- Russia invades Ukraine; anti-submarine warfare role gains urgency
- Order expanded from four to six F126 units
- Planning update: first F126 not before 2032, four years behind original schedule
- German government removes Damen Naval as general contractor
- Defence ministry buys four MEKO A-200s as interim bridge; insists F126 will continue
- Rheinmetall CEO says company close to signing F126 takeover contract
- Pistorius informs industry and MPs of plan to scrap F126, buy eight MEKO A-200s instead
Wider defence context
The decision comes as Germany tries to lead European defence efforts and has budgeted €780 billion for military modernisation through 2030. Scrapping the navy's flagship programme is a political blow and a significant procurement reversal. The move leaves open how Berlin will meet its NATO commitments, for which four F126s had been earmarked.
