When the contract was signed on July 8, 2021, it was cautiously said that construction of the first submarine could begin in 2023, but today it has happened. In a major event in the newly built shipbuilding hall today, September 12, 2023, more than 200 invited spectators and media representatives witnessed the start of production for the U212 CD. The defense ministers of Norway, Björn Arild Gram, and Germany, Boris Pistorius, were the guests of honor.
Just over two years ago, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems was commissioned by the procurement organizations of Norway and Germany to build six identical Type 212 CD submarines. The order includes the delivery of two submarines to the German Navy and four to the Norwegian Navy. The order volume is around 5.5 billion euros. The associated ceremony was significantly smaller at the time due to the pandemic.
The budget earmarks 88.356 million euros (2023) and 91.511 million euros for 2024 for the procurement of U212CD. Like other projects, the procurement of the submarine was outsourced to the 2024 economic plan - Bundeswehr special assets. At the time the contract was awarded, the total costs for the Bundeswehr (including supplies, Li-ion battery, IDAS integration, management reserve and development costs, which Norway and Germany share in a ratio of 1:1) amounted to 3.19 billion euros. The contracted shipyard, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, previously estimated the order volume at around 5.5 billion euros, the largest order in its history.
Edition of the City Class: Burning start for the first Norwegian boat
At 11:19 a.m. the two defense ministers gave the command to the welder Jannes Gotsch. The firing start of the first boat of the new U212CD class took place at the front end bulk head. This is the first Norwegian City class boat. Its delivery is expected from 2029, while the delivery of the two boats (hull numbers 3 and 5) to the German Navy is scheduled for 2032 and 2034.
Miguel Lopez - CEO of thyssenkrupp - welcomed the guests and referred to the new shipbuilding facility, which he inaugurated together with the Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günther. Back in 2019, the management of thyssenkrupp decided to invest 250 million euros in the construction of a modern construction facility for the submarines of the future. Construction began in 2021. It comprises a total of seven shipbuilding halls on 12,762 square meters. Three thousand meters of media cable make modern production possible, tkMS speaks of 'manufacturing 4.0'.
Für den deutschen Verteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius beginnt eine neue Ära. Er führte aus, dass mit U212CD die Schwelle von der Interoperabilität zur Austauschbarkeit („from interoperability to interchangeability“) erfolge, und verwies auf die lange norwegisch-deutsche militärische Zusammenarbeit, die sich auch in erfolgreicher Rüstungszusammenarbeit niederschlägt. Und drückte seine Hoffnung aus, dass sich mit F-35 eine weitere Tür öffnen könnte.
In his speech, Bjorn Arild Gram, the Norwegian Minister of Defense, recalled HNoMS “Kobben”, which was commissioned in 1909 as the first submarine of the Norwegian Navy and was built on the site where it stands today. He further emphasized the importance of joint defense projects and the advantages of cooperation that creates synergies for everyone involved. He pointed out that he had signed a 'Declaration of Intent' with his German counterpart today to develop future 'identical' systems.
U212 CD is an innovative project that is largely based on well-known and proven systems from the tkMS system pool of submarine classes 212A, 214 and 218. The boat will correspond to the current state of technology and has been adapted to the requirements of the two navies. Changing mobility requirements and the requirement that the boat be designed for intensive jobs is leading to an increase in tonnage. This means that the drive system also has to be redesigned. To create synergies and interoperability, the boats will be largely identical. Except for a few technical details that the nations attach importance to. A shared usage management system will be set up, which includes both the training of crews and logistics staff.
The shape of the boat, thanks to the innovative shape of the outer shell, enhances the ability for covert operations by further reducing the target size, but presents new challenges for the boat's sensor technology. This problem is taken into account through targeted improvements to proven sensors. The pressure shell made of non-magnetizable steel and the drive that is independent of outside air remain outstanding technical features of the new development.
U 212CD core data
Displacement (surfaced): ~ 2,500 m³
Length: ~ 73 m Width: ~ 10 m Height: ~ 13 m
In addition to many proven and robust systems, further developments in the areas of diesel engine units, fuel cells and battery technology are also planned. In the future, two diesel engines from the MTU4000 series will be used on the Class 212 CD. In addition, newly developed fuel cells ensure greater robustness in operation independent of outside air. Another innovation lies in the integration of a safe, powerful and inexpensive lithium-ion traction battery system on board the Class 212 CD.
kta naval systems with its ORCCA product family will supply the command and weapon deployment system for U212CD. The company was founded in October 2017 as a joint venture between thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, its Naval Electronic Systems division (ATLAS ELEKTRONIK) and Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace. kta naval systems develops, produces and maintains all operational systems for submarines from thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
Is there a follow-up?
After the Bundeswehr special fund was set up, the Federal Ministry of Defense reportedly made a request for tender offers for one to six U212CD submarines, which tkMS complied with.
In the German Navy's target vision for the years after 2035, recently renamed Course Marine 2035+, the Navy inspector envisages six submarines of the U212CD class. When asked by media representatives, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed the need for additional U212CDs.
For the Navy, additional HDW Class 212CD boats did not mean an additional benefit in this sense. With two 212CD boats ordered so far, a submarine squadron consisting of two new 212CDs plus six older units is emerging. These in turn are divided into four HDW class 212A boats from the 1st construction lot, which urgently need modernization, and two 212A boats from the newer 2nd construction lot.
In Norway, Chief of General Staff General Eirik Kristoffersen considers the number of submarines at his disposal to be insufficient. This emerges from his military advice presented in May and published on June 7, 2023. In November 2022, the government asked the Chief of the General Staff for his recommendation on what the armed forces should look like in the future. “A larger number of submarines will double operational readiness,” writes the Norwegian armed forces chief in his report (ESUT reported).
Hans Uwe Mergener
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