Another Sachsen-class frigate is to be sent to the Red Sea as a relief. She has special equipment on board
The Bundeswehr is currently afloat the second warship for use in the Red Sea. In April, the frigate “Hamburg” is scheduled to replace the “Hessen,” which is currently operating there, reports “Merkur.” Both ships are planned as part of a military operation decided by the EU to secure trade routes in the Red Sea. The main aim is to repel attacks by the Houthi rebels.
According to information from Kieler Nachrichten, the “Hamburg” was recently cruising in the Baltic Sea and the crew recently completed a special training program. This included putting out fires on board and fixing leaks. There is also said to have been further training on the weapon systems.
The “Hesse” has already had to fire rockets several times. Apparently US drones were accidentally targeted but not hit. However, a Houthi missile was destroyed. France reports that it also destroyed two rebel drones on Tuesday night.
A particularly large number of personnel on the Sachsen-class frigates
The frigate F220 “Hamburg” was commissioned in 2004 and belongs to the Sachsen class. It has a crew of 236 soldiers. Helicopters can also be stationed there, adding another 18 people as staff. Along with the “Hesse” and the “Sachsen”, it is one of the most personnel-intensive ships in the German Navy, according to the Bundeswehr website.
The warship has a diesel engine and a gas turbine and can travel at a speed of 29 knots (53 km/h). The technical equipment is particularly important. The frigate has a multifunctional radar and an air surveillance radar. These can be used to quickly detect incoming missiles. Other systems provide electronic support for defense and target tracking. With its radar, it can monitor an airspace the size of the entire North Sea – 350 kilometers in all directions.
Powerful radar and air defense system
The “Saxony” frigates are armed with a 76mm cannon as the main gun, two automatic cannons and launchers for missiles such as the Harpoon RGM-84, which is used against targets on the high seas. There is also anti-aircraft defense and torpedo tubes. Their anti-aircraft missiles range more than 160 kilometers.
A special deception system can be used to confuse incoming enemy missiles. According to a report in Merkur, one of the last major missions of the “Hamburg” took place as part of the EU operation “Irini”: the frigate checked compliance with actions against Libya and stopped a freighter that had loaded kerosene.
Because of the attacks by the Houthis, who are armed by Iran, large shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea connection between Asia and Europe – with significant effects on the global economy. Almost daily, the US military carries out strikes to eliminate Houthi targets, including missiles and drones aimed at ships and weapons prepared to be fired.
Last week, the Houthi militia said it wanted to expand attacks on merchant ships off the country’s coast. The group’s leader, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised speech that they are relying on escalation as a response to Israel’s escalation in the Gaza Strip. So far 48 ships have been attacked. He also announced the use of underwater weapons.
