This week, NVL Group announced the start of construction on the first Type 424 signals intelligence (SIGINT) ship, which will be delivered to the German Navy. This significant project involves an investment of approximately €3.3 billion and includes the construction of three ships of this class to replace the current Oste-class vessels, in service since the 1980s.
The inaugural ceremony took place two days ago in Lemwerder, attended by prominent German naval and company officials. Among them were Annette Lehnigk-Emden, President of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), and Rear Admiral Andreas Czerwinski, Head of the Naval Department at BAAINBw. Tim Wagner, NVL’s CEO, also participated in the event, performing the symbolic first steel cut.
Wagner himself stated: “After a successful design and planning phase, we are entering the construction phase as scheduled. Therefore, this new, technologically highly complex construction project is on the right track.” He went on to highlight that his shipyard will “collaborate with other shipyards in northern Germany and leading German systems engineering companies.”
Reviewing some of the still limited details known about the vessel, it is noteworthy that each ship will have a length of approximately 132 meters and will be equipped with a wide array of systems to perform SIGINT operations. In this regard, each ship is expected to feature electronic, hydroacoustic, and electro-optical sensors, enabling it to detect enemy threats both on the surface and underwater.
Finally, it is worth recalling that the program behind the new Type 424 ships originated in 2021, when BAAINBw awarded the contract to NVL Group. Two years later, the German parliament approved the necessary budget allocations to launch the project, with the first ship scheduled for delivery in 2029. However, the budget for building this fleet of three ships has faced significant scrutiny. The initial estimate of €2.1 billion escalated to the aforementioned €3.3 billion, prompting the German Federal Court of Auditors to express concerns over the issue.
Image credits: NVL; Felix Matthies
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