Sachsen-class

The German Navy's principal air-defense frigate class, built around the Aegis-derived APAR/SMART-L radar suite and Standard SM-2 missiles for fleet air-defense duties. Three ships form the backbone of Germany's high-end surface combat fleet.

In service since 2004 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

5,690

4,000

nmi

VLS

243

crew

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

German export-licensed

BAFA licensing with strict end-use review; approvals can be politically constrained.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2004. Status: active · ~3 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

Mk 41 VLS-class

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 1x 76 mm Oto Melara gun
VLS cells Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship — a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.: 32

Stronger than 50% of warships
Torpedo tubes Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships).: 4

Stronger than 28% of warships

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 143 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes — the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.: 5,690 t
Full-load displacement Displacement fully loaded with fuel, stores and munitions.: 5,800 t
Max speed Top speed in knots (surfaced, for submarines). Higher aids positioning and screening.: 29 kn

Stronger than 54% of warships
Range Cruising range in nautical miles. Nuclear vessels are effectively unlimited (fuel-wise). Higher means more reach without replenishment.: 4,000 nmi

Stronger than 14% of warships
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.: 243
Aircraft carried Embarked aircraft/helicopters. Higher extends the ship’s sensor and strike reach.: 2

Stronger than 51% of warships
Propulsion plant Machinery type — nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.: Combined diesel or gas (CODOG)

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.: APAR multifunction radar with SMART-L long-range radar
Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.: APAR, SMART-L

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 3

Stronger than 41% of warships
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 45% of warships

Specifications compiled from public ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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