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| Artist’s rendering of an MKS 180 (F126) frigate for the German Navy (Picture source: Damen) |
International Military - The F126 frigate is currently a hot topic of discussion, especially in the world of defense equipment. This is because the F126 Frigate itself will later be paired with a deadly weapon from Lockheed Martin.
Reporting from navynews.com, the F126 Frigate will later be paired with the Mk41 VLS as one of the lethal weapons. With the plan to install the Mk41 VLS on the F126 frigate, Damen and Lockheed Martin have signed the contract.
It was also informed that the Mk41 VLS F126 frigate will have the ESSM Block 2 missile as its flagship. It was also explained that later the Mk 41 VLS would be installed on the F126 Frigate along with several other computer and system devices.
Not only the Mk 41 VLS, but the F126 Frigate will also have a row system and other advanced systems. Quoting from navy-technology.com if the F126 Frigate is the designation of the MKS 180 Multi-Porpose Combat Ship.
It was also explained that the makers of the F126 Frigate were Damen Schelde and Blohm Voss, which is a German original company. Later it was discussed that the F126 frigate would have a length of 160 meters and a fairly large dimension.
In addition, the construction of the F126 Frigate is expected to start in 2023 and the first ship will be delivered to the German Navy in 2027.
Please note that the F126 Frigate can support self-defense and surface combat missions. Then for the mission of the maritime situation both above and below the water can be carried out by the F126 Frigate. Therefore the role of the F126 Frigate will also be able to carry out maritime surveillance and embargo control. Including boarding, military dispatch during a crisis, and escorting merchant ships can be carried out by the F126 Frigate.
Not to mention the F126 Frigate leads the task force at sea and is used as a mainstay. Furthermore, in the design section it weighs 10,000 tons and is used quite large. As a result, the F126 frigate has the capacity to accommodate up to 114 crew members.
It should be noted that the F126 Frigate is capable of anti-submarine warfare and air-elimination. Then to support communication, the F126 Frigate is known to be able to accommodate one medium or large helicopter.
In the armament section of the F126 Frigate it is planned that it will be armed with a 127mm main gun with Vulcano long-range precision ammunition. For anti-ship missiles that the F126 frigate will be equipped with NSM and close-range weapons system (CIWS) RAM.
Therefore, we are waiting for further news from the development of the F126 Frigate. And the last is a matter of performance in the F126 Frigate which is believed to be quite superior in its class. The F126 frigate is capable of traveling at a speed of 18 knots and can reach 4,000nm.
Then for the maximum endurance of the ship in the ocean it can reach 24 months and its service life reaches 30 years.