Swedish defence group Saab has signed a contract with German naval shipbuilder TKMS to deliver and integrate combat systems, composite structures and sensors for four of the German Navy's new F128 / MEKO A-200 DEU class frigates. The order, valued at approximately SEK 8.7 billion (roughly €770 million), covers deliveries between 2029 and 2032 and includes an option for equipping additional frigates beyond the initial four hulls.
What Saab Is Delivering
The contract encompasses a comprehensive combat-system package. Saab will provide the 9LV Combat Management System and Fire Control System — the digital backbone that integrates sensors, weapons and command-and-control functions into a unified fighting architecture. The sensor suite includes the Sea Giraffe 4A Fixed Face, a long-range AESA surveillance radar capable of tracking hundreds of targets simultaneously across air, surface and ballistic-missile threat domains, alongside the Sea Giraffe 1X, a lightweight multi-mission surveillance radar optimised for shorter-range detection and situational awareness. Passive sensors complement the active radar suite, providing electronic intelligence and threat-warning capability without emitting detectable signals.
Saab will also supply composite superstructures for the frigates — radar-transparent structures that reduce radar cross-section and electromagnetic interference while providing weight savings compared to traditional steel superstructures. This combination of combat systems, sensors and signature-reducing structures positions the F128 as a digitally native warship designed from the outset for the multi-domain threat environment.
The F128 Programme
The F128 programme will deliver Germany's next-generation surface combatant, replacing the ageing Brandenburg-class (F123) frigates that have been in service since the mid-1990s. TKMS serves as prime contractor, with construction taking place at German shipyards. The German Bundestag's Budget Committee approved the programme in July 2026, clearing the final political hurdle for the procurement. The MEKO A-200 DEU design — an evolution of the proven MEKO modular warship concept — provides a versatile multi-role platform capable of anti-air, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare operations.
Saab's Growing European Footprint
The F128 contract reinforces Saab's position as a leading European naval combat-system integrator. The company already provides combat management systems and sensors for the Finnish Navy's Pohjanmaa-class corvettes, the Swedish Navy's next-generation surface combatant programme, and multiple export customers. CEO Micael Johansson described the order as a continuation of Saab's "long and strong relationship and commitment to Germany and the Bundeswehr."
For Saab, the F128 win follows closely on the Gripen E sale to Ukraine (art62) — together representing a company that is rapidly expanding from its traditional Scandinavian base into a pan-European defence prime with order books spanning fighter aircraft, naval combat systems and surveillance radars.
Strategic Significance
The F128 programme reflects a broader trend in European naval procurement: the convergence of national shipbuilding with multinational combat-system integration. Germany builds the hull; Sweden provides the electronic brain. The result is a warship that leverages the industrial strengths of two NATO allies while maintaining sovereign German control over the platform. For the Deutsche Marine, four F128 frigates equipped with Sea Giraffe 4A AESA radars and 9LV combat systems represent a step-change in multi-domain situational awareness and networked lethality — capabilities essential for NATO operations in the Baltic, North Sea and beyond.