German Navy’s eighth K130 corvette formally named

The German Navy formally named its newest K130 corvette in a ceremony earlier this month.

The future Karlsruhe honours the city of the same name in the German city of Baden-Württemberg. The vessel was constructed by a consortium led by local defence shipbuilder the NVL Group and is the eighth in the K130 series, also known as the Braunschweig-class.

Upon completion, the corvette will have a length of 90 metres, a beam of 13 metres, a draught of 3.4 metres, a helicopter deck, and two MTU diesel engines that will deliver a speed of 26 knots. Armament will include surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, mines, a 76mm naval gun, and two 27mm cannons.

The other consortium partners responsible for the construction of the future Karlsruhe at ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and German Naval Yards Kiel.

The K130 corvettes were developed to replace the German Navy's Gepard-class fast attack craft that were built in the 1980s.