MEKO

See also: Methylethyl ketone oxime
Hessen (F 221), a F124-class frigate (Sachsen-class frigate) of the German Navy.

The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm+Voss. MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "Mehrzweck-Kombination" (English: multi-purpose-combination). It is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics and other equipment, aiming at ease of maintenance and cost reduction.

MEKO ships include families of frigates, corvettes and ocean-going patrol boats. Construction of MEKO ships began in the late 1970s with the design and later building of Nigeria's MEKO 360 H1. Vessels of similar classes use different weapons systems. For example, for the main gun, some MEKO 200s use the Mk 45 Mod 2 gun, others use the French 100 mm naval gun or Otobreda 76 mm gun.[1]

The latest variant is the "Combat Ship for the Littorals" or MEKO CSL. It has also been called a "Littoral Combatant Ship", but it is much smaller than the American Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).[2] There was speculation that this design would be of interest to Israel,[3][4] but it was not.[5] Ultimately however, Israel opted for four modified K130 Braunschweig-class corvettes, the first of which is expected to enter service in 2019. The new variant is dubbed the Sa'ar 6-class corvette.[6] Eight extended versions of MEKO A-100 frigate vessels are planned to be supplied for the Brazilian Navy. The consortium is formed by Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Embraer Defense & Security and Atech, a subsidiary of the Embraer Group. The construction of the vessels, which are more than 100 meters long, are planned for the Oceana shipyard in Itajaí.[7]

Models

The following MEKO models are known to have been built, organized by lineage and delivery dates:

  • MEKO 360 (1981) is the earliest MEKO ship.
  • MEKO 140 (1985) is designed as a companion ship of MEKO 360, developed from the Portuguese João Coutinho class corvettes.
  • MEKO 200 (1987) is a frigate design. It evolved into the MEKO A-200 (2001) and the larger MEKO A-300 (planned for Greece and Poland).[8]
  • F123 (1994), F124 (2002), and F125 (2016) are a line of MEKO frigates developed for the German Navy.
  • K130 (2008) is a corvette designed for the German Navy using some F124 technology.
    • Israeli Sa'ar 6 (2021) is a heavily modified descendant.
  • MEKO A-100 (2019) is a current design.
    • The 2012 A-100 is a single corvette developed from the A-200.[9] It is occasionally quoted as the same as the MEKO 100 RMN (2004).
    • The current design is a family of three sizes (all heavier and longer than the 2012 A-100): corvette, light frigate, patrol corvette.[10]

As of October 2021, the MEKO website showcases A-200, F125, and A-100 models. The following models were once mentioned on the website, but no examples are known to have been built:

  • MEKO CSL (2012 website).
  • MEKO D Corvette (2012 website).[11]
  • MEKO 100 patrol corvette (2012 website). Based on both K130 and MEKO 100 patrol vessel.[12]
  • MEKO A-300 frigate based on A-200 and F-125 offered to Greece and Poland[8]
  • MEKO A-400 AMD[13]

Vessels

Type Class Country Number Delivery Weight Length o.a. (m) Beam (m) Draught (m) Main gun SAM ASM Image
MEKO 360 H1 Aradu  Nigeria 1 1981 3,360 tons 125.80 15.00 4.30 Otobreda 127/54 Compact Aspide Otomat
MEKO 360 H2 Almirante Brown  Argentina 4 1983–1984 3,360 tons 125.80 15.00 4.30 Otobreda 127/54 Compact Aspide Exocet
MEKO 140 A16 Espora  Argentina 6 1985–2002 1,560 tons 91.20 11.00 3.33 Otobreda 76 mm – Exocet
MEKO 200 TN I Yavuz  Turkey 4 1987–1989 3,030 tons 110.50 14.20 4.14 Mk 45 Mod 2 gun RIM-7 Harpoon
MEKO 200 PN Vasco da Gama  Portugal 3 1991– 3,400 tons 115.90 14.80 4.10 French 100 mm naval gun RIM-7 Harpoon
MEKO 200 HN [14] Hydra  Greece 4 1992 3,360 tons 117.00 14.80 4.10 Mk 45 Mod 2 gun RIM-162 Harpoon
MEKO 200 TN II-A Barbaros  Turkey 2 1995– 3,100 tons 116.70 14.80 4.10 Mk 45 Mod 2 gun RIM-7, RIM-162 Harpoon
MEKO 200 ANZAC Anzac  Australia
 New Zealand		 8 (Aus)
2 (NZ)		 1996–2004 3,500 tons 118.00 14.80 4.10 Mk 45 Mod 4 gun RAN: RIM-162,
RNZN: RIM-7, Phalanx Block 1		 RAN: Harpoon
RNZN: None
MEKO 200 TN II-B Salih Reis  Turkey 2 1998– 3,100 tons 118.00 14.80 4.30 Mk 45 Mod 2 gun RIM-7, RIM-162 Harpoon
MEKO A-200 SAN Valour  South Africa 4 2003–2004 3,700 tons 121.00 16.34 4.40 Otobreda 76 mm Umkhonto Exocet
MEKO 100 RMN Kedah  Malaysia 6 2004–2010 1,850 tons 91.10 12.85 3.40 Otobreda 76 mm – –
MEKO A-100 ORP Ślązak  Poland 1 2019 2,150 tons 95.20 13.30 3.60 Otobreda 76 mm Grom –
Corvette 130 (K130) Braunschweig  Germany 5 2008– 1,840 tons 88.75 12.80 3.40 Otobreda 76 mm RIM-116 RBS-15
Frigate 123 (F123) Brandenburg  Germany 4 1994–1996 3,600 tons 138.85 16.70 4.35 Otobreda 76 mm RIM-116, RIM-7 Exocet, RBS-15
Frigate 124 (F124) Sachsen  Germany 3 2002– 5,690 tons 143.00 17.44 4.86 Otobreda 76 mm RIM-116, RIM-162, RIM-66 Harpoon
Frigate 125 (F125) Baden-Württemberg  Germany +4 2016- 7,200 tons 149.52 18.80 5.00 Otobreda 127 mm RIM-116 Harpoon
MEKO A-200 AN Erradi[15]  Algeria +2 2016- 3,700 tons 122 16.3 4.4 Otobreda 127 mm Umkhonto IR RBS-15
(K130-based, no official model)[16][17] Sa'ar 6  Israel 4 2020-[18] 2,000 tons 90.00 12.44 3.40 OTO Melara 76 mm Barak-8, C-Dome Harpoon
MEKO A-100 BR[19] Tamandaré  Brazil 8 2024– 3,500 tons 107.2 16 5.2 OTO Melara 76 mm CAMM MANSUP
MEKO A-200EN Al-Aziz[20]  Egypt 6 2022–2025 3,700 tons 120 14.8 4.3 Otobreda 127 mm MICA NG Exocet

References

  1. ^ "Overview Products + Services". thyssenkrupp marine systems. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  2. ^ Boustead Gets Letter Of Intent To Build Six Patrol Vessels Malaysian National News Agency ~ BERNAMA, 18 October 2010
  3. ^ "MEKO CSL: The Combat Ship for the Littorals". Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
  4. ^ Israeli Navy Wants Stealth Corvettes
  5. ^ MOD: No talks with Germany over sub
  6. ^ "Israel signs €430m deal for German patrol vessels - Globes English". Globes. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  7. ^ "Por US$ 1,6 bi, consórcio com Embraer é escolhido para construir navios para Marinha". G1. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  8. ^ a b Ozberk, Tayfun (10 October 2021). "TKMS Lifts Veil On Powerful MEKO A-300 Class Frigate". Naval News. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  9. ^ MEKO® A-100
  10. ^ "Corvettes & Light Frigates". thyssenkrupp-marinesystems.com. The Class MEKO® A-100 Patrol Corvette is the latest version of the Class 130 Corvette, which is in service with the German Navy.
  11. ^ MEKO® D Corvette
  12. ^ "Blohm + Voss Naval". www.blohmvoss-naval.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  13. ^ Luck, Alex (2024-07-11). "German F127 AAW Frigate Takes Shape". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  14. ^ "Frigates Class Meko-200HN". Hellenic Navy. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  15. ^ Binnie, James. "Algeria commissions second Meko frigate". Jane's 360. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  16. ^ "Design of Future TKMS Built Saar 6 MEKO A100 Corvettes For Israeli Navy Unveiled". Navy Recognition. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  17. ^ Opall-Rome, Barbara (4 August 2016). "Israeli Navy Marks Milestones at German Shipyards". defensenews. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  18. ^ "Google Translate". translate.google.co.il. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  19. ^ "Brasil inicia construcción de fragatas clase Tamandaré". Pucará Defensa (in Spanish). 9 September 2022.
  20. ^ "Egyptian MEKO A200 frigate ENS Al Aziz is fitted with Thales NS100 3D naval radar". Navy Recognition. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-09.