The K130 Braunschweig class (Korvette 130) is Germany's newest class of ocean-going corvettes. They supplement the Gepard class fast attack craft that are currently used.
They feature reduced radar and infra-red signature ("stealth" beyond the Sachsen class frigate) and will be equipped with two helicopter UAVs for remote sensing. Recently, the German Navy ordered a first batch of 6 Camcopter S-100 UAVs for the use on the Braunschweig class corvettes. Also the German Army plans to procure the Camcopter S-100 for land-based missions. The hangar is too small for standard helicopters, but the pad is large enough for Sea Kings, Lynx or NH-90s, the helicopters of the German Navy.
Originally the K130-class was supposed to be armed with the naval version of the Polyphem missile, an optical fiber-guided missile with a range of 60 km, which at the time was under development. The Polyphem program was canceled in 2003 and instead the designers chose to equip the class with the RBS-15. While the RBS-15 has a much greater range (250 km), the current version mounted on the ships, Mk3, lacks the ECM-resistant video feedback of the Polyphem. The German Navy has ordered the RBS-15 Mk4 in advance, which will be a future development of the Mk3 with increased range (400 km) and a dual seeker for increased resistance to electronic countermeasures.| Braunschweig Class Corvette | |
|---|---|
| Operators: |  German Navy |
| Built: | 2004–2007 |
| In commission: | 2008– |
| Planned: | 10 |
| Completed: | 5 |
| Active: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Corvette |
| Displacement: | 1,840 tonnes (1,810 long tons) |
| Length: | 89.12 m (292 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 13.28 m (43 ft 7 in) |
| Draft: | 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion: | MTU 20V 1163 TB 93 diesel engines producing 14.8MW, driving two controllable-pitch propellers. |
| Speed: | 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph) |
| Range: | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Endurance: | 7 days; 21 days with tender |
| Complement: | 65 : 1 commander, 10 officers, 16 chief petty officers, 38 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: | • TRS-3D multifunction radar • 2 navigation radars • MSSR 2000 i IFF system • MIRADOR electro-optical sensors • UL 5000 K ESM suite • Link 11 and Link 16 communications |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: | • 2 × TKWA/MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill System) decoy launcher • UL 5000 K ECM suite |
| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | Helicopter pad and hangar for two Camcopter S-100 |
