The German Ministry of Defense is expected soon to issue invitations to tender to several of Europe's big naval shipyards as it seeks designs for a 7,500-metric-ton multirole combat ship known as the MKS180 which has opened the door to a possible sale of the British Royal Navy's Type 26 frigate design.
Traditionally the German MoD has handed naval contracts to local shipyards like ThyssenKrupp Marine, Lurssen and German Naval Yards, however the procurement process has been hit with criticisms of overspend and delays.
The UK’s naval ship business hopes to take advantage of a more open procurement process in Germany by offering new designs based on the Type 26, also known as the global combat ship in export markets.
Germany is the latest of several potential partners BAE has courted for involvement with the Type 26 program. So far the effort is unsuccessful.
The continuing export effort comes as BAE works to mature its Type 26 design effort and to push through a major transformation of its two yards on the River Clyde in Scotland. The two yards are home to a £1 billion (US $1.56 billion) a year naval ships operation currently leading an industry alliance building two 65,000-metric-ton aircraft carriers and three offshore patrol vessels for the Royal Navy.
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