Fassmer and the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr; BAAINBw) have signed a contract for new experimentation and test support ships. The experimentation and support vessels will be operated by the German Navy’s Wehrtechnische Dienststelle (WTD) 71. The contract signing for the design and construction of the vessels took place on 22 July. The new experimentation and support vessels will support the securing and recovery of torpedoes during trials.
WTD 71 is the Bundeswehr technical centre for ships and naval weapons, maritime technology, and research. The two new identical vessels are known as ‘Messboote Seeversuche Küste’ (sea and shore trial instrumentation ships) in German. The centre has a total of nine sea-going vessels with special capabilities for the performance of its tasks. WTD 71 is looking forward to the new ships with their modern and contemporary equipment, which will be delivered in 2023, and which will be then the highly visible expression of defence-related investigations and tests in the Eckenförder Bay for the next 30 years.
The multi-purpose boats of the class 745 “Breitgrund” and “Mittelgrund” will be replaced after 32 years, as will the barrage weapon test boat “Wilhelm Pullwer” of the class 741 after 55 years. The two vessels, slated for delivery from 2023, will among other things support the securing and recovery of torpedoes as part of tests, sail with submarines during shallow water tests, provide support for the use of autonomous underwater vehicles as well as diving missions in the context of defense investigations of diving devices and equipment. They will also perform submarines escort missions during shallow water testing.
Fassmer Defence provides high-end ships, boats and specialised outfitting to German / international navies, coast guards and security forces. Fassmer Defence has a wide range of patrol and auxiliary vessels for navies and coastguards. These range from 20m fast interceptors to 95m offshore patrol vessels (OPVs). Standardised design portfolios are provided to meet demanding vessel requirements. This enables short delivery times and high-performance. Fassmer Defence designs and manufactures high-end ships, boats and specialised outfitting to German / international navies, coastguards and security forces.
