The German Navy F124 Sachsen-class frigate F221 Hessen has arrived in the Red Sea after passing through the Suez Canal on February 24, 2024, as Bundeswehr announced via social media site “X”, formerly Twitter, on February 25, 2024. The ship will now join the EU-organized operation “Aspides”. The EU-mission intends to protect shipping in the Red Sea against missile attacks by Yemen-based Houthi military forces.

EU and German mandates differ for Aspides

The mandate of “Aspides” is to “provide maritime situational awareness, accompany vessels, and protect them against possible multi-domain attacks at sea.“. The approved region of operation will be “the main sea lines of communication in the Baab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as international waters in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the (Persian) Gulf.“. Notably EUNAVFOR Aspides does not envisage strikes against land-based targets. The mandate for the German contribution approved by the Bundestag with a significant majority imposes an additional restriction by prohibiting operations north of Oman’s capital of Muscat. Therefore the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf are excluded from German operations.

Hessen had set sail from Wilhelmshaven on February 8. The frigate arrived in Crete in anticipation of formal approval for EUNAVFOR Aspides from both the EU and the German parliament. She then departed Souda for the Suez Canal on February 21. The ship has embarked 240 personnel including additional medical and naval infantry troops for the mission. The Bundestag-mandated upper personnel ceiling for the operation is 700 personnel. This should allow some leverage for increased contributions and other leverage, such as for logistics support. Hessen will operate with “Aspides” until the end of April. Succeeding units are expected to stay in theatre for up to four months. The current mandate is valid until February 28, 2025.

Uncertainty over SM-2 interceptor supplies for German frigates

While Hessen got underway, German media reporting also focused on the F124 AAW-frigates, described as the “gold standard” of German naval capability by Bundeswehr officials. In a response to a member of parliament the German Ministry of Defence (BMVg) revealed that the SM-2 Blk IIIA used by Hessen and her sister ships “are out of production“. The most recent order for this missile type for foreign customers via Foreign Military Sales (FMS) dates to 2021. If the revelations are accurate, it implies all Sachsen-class frigates will have to undergo modernization of their combat management system and possibly also hardware upgrades in order to use the newer SM-2 Block IIIC now in low rate initial production. Details on the exact technical issues remain obscure.

The impact of this possible problem on current operations is also not immediately clear. The German Navy as a matter of principle does not comment on weapons loadouts of deployed combatants. Nor does the BMVg provide public insight into existing ordnance stockpiles including SM-2 missiles. Bundeswehr continues to struggle with widely reported shortages of ammunition across all services. Navy Chief Vice Admiral Jan-Christian Kaack repeatedly stressed the importance of ammunition stockpiles since assuming office in March 2022.

Ongoing modernization and readiness challenges for F124-fleet

The first of class F219 Sachsen had only in December 2023 received a new Mk 41 VLS. The system replaced the previous launcher after suffering damage from a failed SM-2 launch in 2019 off Norway. The replacement experienced considerable delay, resulting in Sachsen operating for five years without her principal weapon system. The hold-up arose both over Germany having to order a bespoke new Mk 41 launcher via FMS and then deferring installation until Sachsen was due for a regular maintenance interval.

Prior to “Aspides” all Sachsen-class frigates were already scheduled to undergo a significant “midlife update”. The contracted work will enable the F124-design to perform detection and tracking, but not direct interception, of ballistic missiles. Related work will integrate new TRS-4D/LR ROT radar sets and updates to the combat management system. The effort will commence this year and conclude in 2028. How the Red Sea-deployment affects this schedule, and specifically work for Hessen is unclear at the present time.