On Thursday, April 16, 2026, a steel-cutting ceremony was held at the Peene-Werft shipyard in Wolgast, Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, operated by Naval Vessels (part of the Rheinmetall AG group), for the third and final Type 424 signals intelligence vessel for the German Navy (Deutsche Marine).
From left: Captain (OF-5) Dietrich Esfeld, project manager for the FDB 424 intelligence vessel; Commander (OF-4) Omar de Stefano; Commander (OF-4) Peter-Christian Wienss; and Florian Lahl, project manager for the FDB 424 intelligence vessel at Rheinmetall AG / Photos: Rheinmetall AG
The steel-cutting ceremony took place significantly earlier than planned. Once it enters service, the intelligence vessel will be operated jointly by the German Navy and the Cyber and Information Domain Service (CIR).
“Beginning the steel cutting early means that all ships of this class are now under construction. This is far more than just a technical milestone—it is a strategic signal. In the current geopolitical security environment, which is changing faster than ever before, we, as an industrial partner, are doing our part to accelerate strengthening defence capabilities. Speed is now a security-relevant factor—and this is exactly what we are focussing on,” said Tim Wagner, CEO of Rheinmetall’s Naval Systems division.
Rheinmetall AG became the contractor after taking over the shipbuilding program from the Naval Vessels division of NVL Group (Naval Vessels Lürssen), based in Bremen and part of the Lürssen Group, which was acquired effective March 2 this year.
The construction program stems from a research and development contract with the Bundeswehr procurement agency, BAAINBw (Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr), dated June 24, 2021, under the Flottendienstbooten der Klasse 424 program, as well as an implementing contract for the construction of three vessels dated July 10, 2023, worth 3.3 billion EUR. Interestingly, the contracting authority had originally expected the design and construction to be completed within a budget of 2.1 billion EUR.
Steel cutting for the first vessel took place on November 21, 2024, and its keel was laid on February 25, 2025. Steel cutting for the second vessel, in turn, took place on September 4, 2025, and its keel was laid on November 19 of the same year.
Image: Naval Systems
The Type 424 signals intelligence vessels are to be 132 m long and crewed by 42 officers and sailors each. Their architecture is also expected to be based on civilian solutions. The contract also provides for the construction of a simulator center by 2027, while delivery of the prototype vessel is expected by 2029. The primary task of the new vessels will be signals intelligence (SIGINT) reconnaissance and collection, while the exact nature of their equipment has been classified.
The new vessels will replace the three Type 423 Oste-class vessels: FGS Alster (A 50), FGS Oste (A 52), and FGS Oker (A 53), which entered service in 1988–1989. They are 83.5 m long, 14.6 m wide, and have a displacement of 3,200 tonnes. The first of these called at the port of Gdynia on April 23–24, 2023, to replenish supplies and liquid fuels. The vessel is monitoring the Kaliningrad Oblast region in connection with the ongoing full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war.
#Rheinmetall #Naval Systems begins production of Intelligence #Vessel ahead of schedule https://t.co/RUabXqLP8o pic.twitter.com/zZFvj3eDYF
— Rheinmetall (@RheinmetallAG) April 16, 2026
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