Zitat:German Navy Chief: Frigate Deployment to Indo-Pacific First of Biennual Deployments to Region

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – The current six-month-plus deployment of German frigate FGS Bayern (F217) to the Indo-Pacific is the initial step toward a regular biennual naval deployment to the region, German Navy Chief Vice Adm. Kay-Achim Schönbach said today. [...] Schönbach said Bayern’s deployment was to enable the German Navy to familiarize itself with the region, given its last presence here was 19 years ago. He said that, subject to the final decision of the German government, he intends to have German maritime assets deploy to the region on a regular basis, then potentially also in an international format together with European and Transatlantic partner navies.

His intention is to send ships into the region again in 2023. “This time was just a frigate, as a teaser to prepare for the next time, where there will be two,” the German Navy Chief said. [...]

The 2023 deployment is slated to include a frigate accompanied by an auxiliary ship to support the frigate. Schönbach also said that with the newer F125 Baden-Württemberg-class frigates, the deployment scope could be expanded further, as the ships are capable of remaining in the region for up to two years with a crew rotation in place. [...]

He noted that while the German Navy would not deploy to the Indo-Pacific in 2022, German Chief of Defence Gen. Eberhard Zorn has announced that German Air Force units, as well as cyber defense units, will deploy to the region in 2022. The Luftwaffe is scheduled to deploy six Eurofighters, three Airbus A330 tankers and three A400M transport aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force’s Pitch Black multinational air combat exercise, scheduled for Sept. 5 through Sept. 23, 2022 in Australia, though Germany is also said to be talking to other countries in the Indo-Pacific about bilateral exercises next year.

Zitat:German frigate Bayern conducts drills with Vietnamese corvette

According to a tweet published by the German Navy on January 9, 2022, the German Brandenburg-class frigate Bayern conducted drills with Vietnamese Project 1241.8 (Molniya) fast-attack missile corvette. [...] Project 1242.1 and project 1241.8 Molniya are further developments of the Tarantul family of ships.

The two projects have been modified and rearmed with modern missile systems like the Uran-E and are more capable ships than the Tarantul types. The ships are built by the Russian Vympel Shipyard.

Zitat:German frigate Bayern conducts exercise with Israeli Navy

According to a tweet published by the German MoD on February 10, 2022, the Brandenburg-class frigate Bayern conducted a PHOTEX with the Israeli Sa'ar 6-class corvette INS ATZMAUT. [...]

Zitat:German Navy’s Longest Deployment a Success, Commanding Officer Says

The seven-month deployment of the German Navy Frigate FGS Bayern (F217) was a success despite COVID-19 and challenges from a lengthy underway, the frigate’s commanding officer said.

Bayern‘s crew represented Germany and the German Navy during nine official harbor calls in Pakistan, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Commanding Officer Cmdr. Tilo Kalski told USNI News. The 4,500-ton, anti-submarine warfare frigate also completed 26 exercises with other navies, including the nine countries in which it made harbor calls, Kalski said. [...]

The commanding officer also said the uncertainty of the pandemic caused a huge psychological burden for the entire crew as there was no guarantee that a crewmember could be flown home in the next harbor in case of a family emergency or similar. The deployment was the longest trip a German warship has undertaken for decades, with seven months away from home, in addition to the 100 days during the preparation and training phase.

Zitat:German Navy Announces New Pacific Deployments as Global Navy Chiefs Call for More Pacific Cooperation

SINGAPORE – The German Navy will deploy a frigate and a combat support ship to the Indo-Pacific in 2024, German Navy Chief Vice Adm. Jan Christian Kaack announced at the International Maritime Security Conference (IMSC) 2023 Thursday. “We are looking forward to joint operations and exercises with our partners in the region,” Kaack said. The mission of the two-ship task force will include freedom of navigation operations with partner navies in the South China Sea. [...]

Kaack did not identify the German ships that will deploy in 2024. He did say it would be one of its newest frigates – one of the four 7,200 tons Baden-Württemberg class. The four ships entered service between 2019 and 2022. The overall goal is for Germany to make a visible contribution to the rules-based order in the region and contribute to freedom of navigation. The group will also join in the United Nations embargo on North Korea via maritime surveillance operations.

(06.05.2023, 09:30)GermanMilitaryPower schrieb: Also soll die F125 nun genau das tun, was sie nicht kann. Force projection mit 127mm, RAM, Geräuschkanone und Wasserwerfern. Es ist nur noch lächerlich.

(06.05.2023, 09:30)GermanMilitaryPower schrieb: Also soll die F125 nun genau das tun, was sie nicht kann. Force projection mit 127mm, RAM, Geräuschkanone und Wasserwerfern. Es ist nur noch lächerlich.

(07.05.2023, 07:55)GermanMilitaryPower schrieb: Die F125 wurde niemals für derartige Missionen konzipiert.

Zitat:Germany to deploy Berlin-class oiler, first Type 125 frigate for Indo-Pacific tour

The German Navy will deploy its first-of-class Baden-Württemberg (Type 125) frigate and its second Berlin (Type 702)-class combat support ship, Frankfurt Am Main, to the Indo-Pacific region in 2024. Janes was able to confirm this with the Chief of the German Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, while he was in Singapore on 6 November.

Zitat:German Navy Chief Talks Indo-Pacific Deployment, Round The World-Sail

Newest frigate and replenishment ship to conduct one of the longest sails undertaken by the German Navy in the history of the service. [...]

The German Navy will kick off its Indo-Pacific deployment of one frigate and one auxiliary in May this year. German Navy Chief (Inspector of the Navy) Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack revealed this detail in a recent episode of Bundeswehr-produced Q&A “Nachgefragt”. As reported previously, the German Navy in 2024 is going to conduct another sail to the Indian and Pacific Ocean, following up from the 2021-deployment of F123 frigate F217 “Bayern”. [...]

“Bayern” also sailed through the South China Sea, although the frigate did not conduct a Taiwan Strait-transit nor did the ship dock in China after related diplomatic difficulties between Berlin and Beijing. The 4,500 ton ASW-frigate then returned the same way she sailed to the region via the Red Sea and the Mediterranean to her homeport in Wilhelmshaven. [...]

Selection for the new cruise fell on one of the newest ships in the German Navy, the first of class F125 frigate “Baden-Wuerttemberg”. The 7,200 ton F125-class has experienced a number of development difficulties. The ship has also faced significant criticism over the very bespoke design of a “low intensity warfare”-combatant. The idea behind their inception was to perform missions of up to two years duration in theatre. The Navy envisioned the relevant threat level as shaped by counterinsurgency-, antipiracy- and other stabilization task-environments. Nevertheless, given the political and diplomatic focus of the German Indo-Pacific-deployments and the nautical distances involved F125 is seen by some observers including the Navy as the most effective design for this mission. [...]

Ports of call named by the Navy Chief include Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The ships will likely first head for Hawaii after transiting the Canal to participate in RIMPAC 2024 in July. Neither vessel so far appears on the list of participants for the exercise.