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Damen Naval has selected Leonardo‘s OTO 127/64 LightWeight (LW) Vulcano naval defense systems to equip the German Navy’s four new F126 frigates, with the addition of two optional vessels. The contract also includes the supply of support for maintenance activities, simulators for crew training and on-board activities for the integration and commissioning of the system.
The OTO 127/64 LW Vulcano naval gun is a technologically sophisticated and fully digitalized system that ensures constant support to operators and the on-board Combat Management System (CMS) for the calculation of shooting solutions during mission planning.
Leonardo’s 127/64 LW Vulcano gun can employ the standard ammunition 127mm and both variants of the company’s Vulcano 127mm ammunition: Guided Long Range (GLR) and Ballistic Extended Range (BER). The gun extends a naval unit’s defensive capability up to 85 km while maintaining precision accuracy.
Leonardo’s naval defense systems already equip various German Navy vessels, including its Baden-Württemberg class frigates, which are also equipped with the Vulcano ammunition-firing OTO 127/64 LW Vulcano weapon system.
“The F126 project is going forward with full speed and in trustworthy cooperation with the German authorities,” said Hein van Ameijden, Managing Director Damen Naval. “Leonardo is the perfect partner for our mission to deliver at least four state-of-the-art frigates for the German Navy. F126 will set new standards regarding modularity and capabilities and Leonardo’s naval defense system is an important contribution.”
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence has also selected the 127/64 LW Vulcano naval guns, together with the automatic ammunition loading system (Automatic Ammunition Handling System – AAHS) for standard and Vulcano ammunition, with the aim to modernize the four highly advanced air-defense and command frigates of the De Zeven Provinciën-class.
Damen Naval is building the four F126 class frigates together with its partners Blohm+Voss and Thales. The contract covers the delivery of initially four ships in the years 2028 to 2031 with an agreed option for a possible delivery of two more ships in the years after 2032. All building work will be carried out entirely in Germany at shipyards in Kiel, Hamburg and Wolgast.
