Four MEKO 200HN (Hellenic Navy) frigates have been in service with the Hellenic Navy since the mid-1990s. In order to extend the service life of the fleet, the Navy intends to commission a comprehensive modernization (mid-life upgrade). The original equipment manufacturers of the four MEKO® 200 HN frigates, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Thales, were approached for the modernization program. Thales and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems have now joined forces to form a consortium for the planned modernization program. The consortium agreement was signed by both partners on December 12, 2023. thyssenkrupp Marine Systems will subcontract the ship platform modifications to a local Greek shipyard.
The consortium will be the exclusive contact for the Hellenic Navy. As part of the consortium, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is to be responsible for modernizing the ship’s platform. As a system house, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems will supply not only the design documents but also the communication systems. For this purpose, a subcontract is to be awarded to Hagenuk Marinekommunikation, a subsidiary of ATLAS ELEKTRONIK. Thales will in turn provide the combat system, with the combat management system TACTICOS as its foundation, for the MEKO® 200 HN frigates and assume the role of spokesperson in the partnership consortium based in Hengelo, the Netherlands. It is expected that the order will be received in 2024.
Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems: “With the joint contract for the modernization of the frigates, we are once again a strong partner for the Hellenic Navy. On the one hand, this further strengthens our order book and, on the other, underlines our role and strength as a maritime powerhouse that combines electronics, surface and underwater shipbuilding under one roof. A further milestone on our road to independence of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.”
The MEKO 200 is a frigate design by the Blohm + Voss shipyard of Germany, as part of the MEKO family of warships. The MEKO frigates have high-level specifications for shock resistance, stiffness requirements for the fire control and radar systems, and blast and gas pressure resistance to retain the integrity of the on-board weapon systems. The hull is constructed of high tensile steel with a yield strength of S355 N/mm² ‘structural steel grades’. The ship is divided into twelve self-sufficient watertight sections, which function almost independently of each other. Each compartment also has independent data transfer to the ship’s Naval Automation System, Nautos. The four Hydra-class frigates of the Hellenic Navy of Greece are 3200-ton frigates of the MEKO 200HN design. The first of the four, Hydra was built by Blohm + Voss in Hamburg and commissioned in 1992. The other three were constructed at the Hellenic Shipyards Co. at Skaramagas. Spetsai was commissioned in 1996, Psara in 1998 and Salamis in 1999.
