Naval Systems

Bremen class / F122 frigate

Also known as
  • Bremen class
  • Bremen-class frigate
  • F122 frigate
  • Type 122 frigate

The Bremen class / F122 frigate was an eight-ship German Navy frigate class built from 1979 to 1990 and retained in service until Lübeck decommissioned in 2022. Designed around anti-submarine escort work with Sea Lynx helicopters, CODOG propulsion, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Sea Sparrow air defense, torpedo tubes, and later RAM close-defense launchers, the class also appears in the anti-ISIS record through Augsburg's Operation Counter Daesh carrier-escort deployments.

Bremen class / F122 frigate, Guided-missile frigate class, Naval Systems
Image source: German frigate Bremen (F 207) image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Germany
Type
Guided-missile frigate class
Service note
1982-2022
Produced
1979-1990
Number built
8

Specifications

Length
130.5 m
Beam
14.6 m
Draft
6.3 m
Displacement
about 3,680 t
Propulsion
CODOG with General Electric gas turbines and MTU diesel engines
Speed
about 30 knots
Crew
about 202 crew plus aviation detachment
Armament
Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Sea Sparrow air-defense missiles, 76 mm gun, torpedo tubes, and later RAM launchers
Aviation
Facilities for two Sea Lynx helicopters
Ship List And Service Dates

The Bremen class comprised eight German Navy Type 122 frigates. Official Bundeswehr material lists all eight as decommissioned, with Lübeck the final ship to leave service on 15 December 2022.

PennantShipBuilderCommissionedDecommissioned
F207BremenBremer Vulkan, Bremen7 May 198228 March 2014
F208NiedersachsenAG Weser, Bremen15 October 198226 June 2015
F209Rheinland-PfalzBlohm+Voss, Hamburg3 May 198322 March 2013
F210EmdenNordseewerke, Emden7 October 198329 November 2013
F211KölnBlohm+Voss, Hamburg19 October 198431 July 2012
F212KarlsruheHowaldtswerke, Kiel19 April 198416 June 2017
F213AugsburgBremer Vulkan, Bremen3 October 198918 December 2019
F214LübeckNordseewerke, Emden19 March 199015 December 2022
Design And Late-Service Fit

The Type 122 design was based on the Dutch Kortenaer class but used a different propulsion system and hangar layout. It was procured primarily for anti-submarine warfare, while also carrying anti-surface weapons and point air defenses.

Aviation

The class carried facilities for two Sea Lynx Mk88A helicopters, a feature the Bundeswehr describes as a first for German Navy frigates and now standard across its frigate classes.

Late-service sensors

Bundeswehr's late-service F122 data listed TRS-3D multifunction radar, STIR fire-control radar, DSQS 21 bow sonar, MSP 500 video/infrared tracking, FL 1800 S electronic-warfare equipment, and navigation radar.

Added close-defense fit

SeaForces marks the RIM-116 RAM launchers and 27 mm MLG27 gun systems as later additions to the Type 122 armament, matching the late-service Bundeswehr weapons list.

Onboard Weapon Systems

F122 references identify the class with ship-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Sea Sparrow point air defense, and later RIM-116 RAM close-defense launchers.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
Harpoon, Anti-ship cruise missile family, MunitionsHarpoonAnti-ship cruise missile family

SeaForces identifies the Bremen class with two Mk.141 launchers for eight RGM-84 Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles, and Marineforum lists HARPOON missiles in the class armament.

Sources: Type 122 Bremen class Frigate, The utilisation of the frigates class 122

NATO Sea Sparrow Missile, Ship self-defense missile, MunitionsNATO Sea Sparrow MissileShip self-defense missile

SeaForces lists a Mk.29 missile launcher for RIM-7 Sea Sparrow on the Bremen class, and U.S. Navy imagery shows a NATO Sea Sparrow launch from the Bremen-class frigate Lubeck during UNITAS Gold.

Sources: Type 122 Bremen class Frigate, German frigate Lubeck launching Sea Sparrow image

RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile, Ship-launched surface-to-air missile, MunitionsRIM-116 Rolling Airframe MissileClose-in air-defense missile

SeaForces lists two Mk.49 launching systems for RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles as a later Bremen-class addition, and Marineforum says the class was supplemented by RAM launchers during service.

Sources: Type 122 Bremen class Frigate, The utilisation of the frigates class 122

Timeline

Bremen class / F122 frigate Key Events

  1. Lead ship laid down

    Bremen (F207), the class lead ship, was laid down at Bremer Vulkan in Bremen.

  2. Bremen enters service

    Bremen commissioned as the first Type 122 frigate in German Navy service.

  3. Eight-ship class commissioned

    The eight Bremen-class frigates entered service between 1982 and 1990, with Lübeck commissioning last.

  4. Class withdrawals begin

    Köln became the first Bremen-class frigate to leave service.

  5. Final Lübeck deployment ends

    Lübeck returned to Wilhelmshaven from its final Aegean deployment before decommissioning.

  6. Final ship decommissioned

    Lübeck was decommissioned at Wilhelmshaven, closing the Bremen-class chapter in German Navy service.

Media

Bremen class / F122 frigate Videos

Bremen class / F122 frigate Images

Bremen class / F122 frigate, Guided-missile frigate class, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: German frigate Lubeck launching Sea Sparrow image
Related Weapon Systems
Type 052B / Luyang I-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 052B / Luyang I-class destroyerChinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer classThe Type 052B, also called the Luyang I-class or Guangzhou-class destroyer, is a two-ship People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class built by Jiangnan Shipyard. Its combat system pairs Russian Shtil-1/SA-N-12 area air-defense launchers with YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, Type 730 close-in guns, torpedo tubes, and a helicopter hangar, and both ships later appeared in Chinese Gulf of Aden counter-piracy escort deployments.
Type 052C / Luyang II-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy air-defense destroyer class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 052C / Luyang II-class destroyerChinese People's Liberation Army Navy air-defense destroyer classThe Type 052C, also known as the Luyang II-class destroyer, is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class built around area air defense and long-range maritime presence. Public sources describe it as the PLAN's first class to combine a fixed AESA radar, vertically launched HHQ-9 missiles, YJ-62 anti-ship missiles, and a helicopter facility; direct conflict coverage now includes Gulf of Aden escort deployments, a 2018 South China Sea FONOP encounter, and August 2022 Taiwan Strait crisis exercises.
Type 056 / Type 056A Jiangdao-class corvette, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy corvette and anti-submarine-warfare corvette family, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 056 / Type 056A Jiangdao-class corvetteChinese People's Liberation Army Navy corvette and anti-submarine-warfare corvette familyThe Type 056 / Type 056A Jiangdao-class corvette is a Chinese corvette family built in large numbers for littoral patrol, escort, surface warfare, and coastal anti-submarine work. The baseline Type 056 carried a 76 mm gun, YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, point-defense missiles, and torpedo tubes, while the Type 056A added towed-array and variable-depth sonar; the class has also appeared in South China Sea dispute patrol incidents.

Sources

Forecast International archived Bremer Vulkan reportPublisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports Bremer Vulkan as prime contractor on the Type 122 frigate and broader company background. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Bremer Vulkan to build two Bremen-class frigatesPublisher: Maritime Reporter | Note: Supports the Federal Republic of Germany contract with Bremer Vulkan for two additional F122 frigates and basic dimensions, propulsion, speed, and complement. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Bremen-class frigatePublisher: Naval Technology | Note: Supports class role, ship count, general weapons fit, aviation facilities, and major specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Type 122 Bremen class FrigatePublisher: SeaForces | Note: Supports the Bremen-class Harpoon, RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, later RIM-116 RAM, Oto-Melara 76/62, torpedo, sensor, and two-helicopter facilities fit. | Accessed: 2026-07-13The utilisation of the frigates class 122Publisher: Marineforum | Note: Supports the class's Sea Lynx embarkation, 76-mm OTO MELARA, Nato Sea Sparrow, HARPOON, torpedo, decoy, later RAM, 27-mm gun, and heavy-machine-gun service-life armament context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Bundeswehr Lübeck F122 equipment pagePublisher: Bundeswehr | Note: Supports the official F122 decommissioning list, Lübeck as the last Bremen-class ship, late-service technical data, weapons, sensors, ship count, and Augsburg being used by the anti-ISIS coalition as a Charles de Gaulle escort during Operation Counter Daesh. | Accessed: 2026-07-13ZMSBw anti-IS coalition historyPublisher: Zentrum für Militärgeschichte und Sozialwissenschaften der Bundeswehr | Note: Supports direct conflict use in the 2014 War Against the Islamic State by describing Augsburg as a German warship used by the anti-ISIS coalition around Charles de Gaulle in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean to support carrier-based strikes against Islamic State targets. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Naval Today Augsburg ISIS missionPublisher: Naval Today | Note: Supports direct conflict use in the 2014 War Against the Islamic State by reporting that the F122 Bremen-class frigate Augsburg protected Charles de Gaulle off Syria during airstrikes against ISIS. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Bundeswehr Lucky Lübeck decommissioningPublisher: Bundeswehr | Note: Supports Lübeck's 15 December 2022 decommissioning, final Aegean deployment return, end of the Bremen-class service chapter, anti-submarine design focus, helicopter context, and F125 replacement context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Janes final Bremen-class decommissioningPublisher: Janes | Note: Supports final Lübeck decommissioning, commissioning range, design lineage, anti-submarine focus, progressive removal from service, and replacement by Baden-Württemberg-class frigates. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SeaForces F207 Bremen hull pagePublisher: SeaForces | Note: Supports Bremen builder, laid-down date, launch date, commissioning date, and decommissioning date. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SeaForces F208 Niedersachsen hull pagePublisher: SeaForces | Note: Supports Niedersachsen builder, laid-down date, launch date, commissioning date, and decommissioning date. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SeaForces F209 Rheinland-Pfalz hull pagePublisher: SeaForces | Note: Supports Rheinland-Pfalz builder, laid-down date, launch date, commissioning date, and decommissioning date. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SeaForces F210 Emden hull pagePublisher: SeaForces | Note: Supports Emden builder, laid-down date, launch date, commissioning date, and decommissioning date. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SeaForces F211 Köln hull pagePublisher: SeaForces | Note: Supports Köln builder, laid-down date, launch date, commissioning date, and decommissioning date. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SeaForces F212 Karlsruhe hull pagePublisher: SeaForces | Note: Supports Karlsruhe builder, laid-down date, launch date, commissioning date, and decommissioning date. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SeaForces F213 Augsburg hull pagePublisher: SeaForces | Note: Supports Augsburg builder, laid-down date, launch date, commissioning date, and decommissioning date. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SeaForces F214 Lübeck hull pagePublisher: SeaForces | Note: Supports Lübeck builder, laid-down date, launch date, commissioning date, and 2022 final-deployment context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13German frigate Bremen (F 207) imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports public-domain U.S. Navy image provenance for the lead F122 frigate. | Accessed: 2026-07-13German frigate Lubeck launching Sea Sparrow imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports public-domain U.S. Navy image provenance for a NATO Sea Sparrow launch from Bremen-class frigate Lubeck during UNITAS Gold. | Accessed: 2026-07-13