NVL Group is under contract to design and build three new Class 424 AGIs for the German armed forces. (NVL Group)
Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL) Group has laid the keel for the first of three Type 424 intelligence-gathering vessels (AGIs) on order for the German Navy.
A keel-laying ceremony was staged at NVL Group's Wolgast Peene shipyard on 25 February, the shipbuilder announced the same day.
The 132 m vessels are being procured to replace the German Navy's three ageing Type 423 Oste-class AGIs, Oker, Alster, and Oste, all of which entered service in the late 1980s.
Under current planning, the first AGI will be delivered in 2029, with the third and final Type 424 ship scheduled for handover in 2031.
NVL Group is building the Type 424 AGIs under a contract amendment awarded by Germany's Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr: BAAINBw) in July 2023. The shipbuilder completed the initial design phase for the Type 424 AGIs in collaboration with the BAAINBw under a contract awarded in June 2021.
The scope of the contract also includes the provision of a shore-based training and reference facility, which is planned to be delivered in 2027.
Systems onboard the ships will incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence to assist in data processing. The ships will be capable of embarking unmanned systems and one medium helicopter and will be replenishment-at-sea capable to enable increased time at sea.
For more information, please seeSIGINT sentinels: European intelligence-gathering vessel programmes .
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