The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm+Voss. MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "Mehrzweck-Kombination" (English: multi-purpose-combination). It is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics and other equipment, aiming at ease of maintenance and cost reduction.
MEKO ships include families of frigates, corvettes and ocean-going patrol boats. Construction of MEKO ships began in the late 1970s with the design and later building of Nigeria's MEKO 360 H1. Vessels of similar classes use different weapons systems. For example, for the main gun, some MEKO 200s use the Mk 45 Mod 2 gun, others use the French 100 mm naval gun or Otobreda 76 mm gun.[1]
The latest variant is the "Combat Ship for the Littorals" or MEKO CSL. It has also been called a "Littoral Combatant Ship", but it is much smaller than the American Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).[2] There was speculation that this design would be of interest to Israel,[3][4] but it was not.[5] Ultimately however, Israel opted for four modified K130 Braunschweig-class corvettes, the first of which is expected to enter service in 2019. The new variant is dubbed the Sa'ar 6-class corvette.[6] Four extended versions of MEKO A-100 light frigate vessels are planned to be supplied for the Brazilian Navy between 2025 and 2028. The consortium is formed by Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Embraer Defense & Security and Atech, a subsidiary of the Embraer Group. The construction of the vessels, which are more than 100 meters long, are planned for the Oceana shipyard in Itajaí.[7]
The following MEKO models are known to have been built, organized by lineage and delivery dates:
As of October 2021[update], the MEKO website showcases A-200, F125, and A-100 models. The following models are once mentioned on the website, but no examples are known to have been built:
Type | Class | Country | Number | Delivery | Weight | Length o.a. (m) | Beam (m) | Draught (m) | Main gun | SAM | ASM | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MEKO 360 H1 | Aradu | Nigeria | 1 | 1981 | 3,360 tons | 125.80 | 15.00 | 4.30 | Otobreda 127/54 Compact | Aspide | Otomat | |
MEKO 360 H2 | Almirante Brown | Argentina | 4 | 1983–1984 | 3,360 tons | 125.80 | 15.00 | 4.30 | Otobreda 127/54 Compact | Aspide | Exocet | |
MEKO 140 A16 | Espora | Argentina | 6 | 1985–2002 | 1,560 tons | 91.20 | 11.00 | 3.33 | Otobreda 76 mm | – | Exocet | |
MEKO 200 TN I | Yavuz | Turkey | 4 | 1987–1989 | 3,030 tons | 110.50 | 14.20 | 4.14 | Mk 45 Mod 2 gun | RIM-7 | Harpoon | |
MEKO 200 PN | Vasco da Gama | Portugal | 3 | 1991– | 3,400 tons | 115.90 | 14.80 | 4.10 | French 100 mm naval gun | RIM-7 | Harpoon | |
MEKO 200 HN [13] | Hydra | Greece | 4 | 1992 | 3,360 tons | 117.00 | 14.80 | 4.10 | Mk 45 Mod 2 gun | RIM-162 | Harpoon | |
MEKO 200 TN II-A | Barbaros | Turkey | 2 | 1995– | 3,100 tons | 116.70 | 14.80 | 4.10 | Mk 45 Mod 2 gun | RIM-7, RIM-162 | Harpoon | |
MEKO 200 ANZAC | Anzac | Australia New Zealand |
8 (Aus) 2 (NZ) |
1996–2004 | 3,500 tons | 118.00 | 14.80 | 4.10 | Mk 45 Mod 4 gun | RAN: RIM-162, RNZN: RIM-7, Phalanx Block 1 |
RAN: Harpoon RNZN: None |
|
MEKO 200 TN II-B | Salih Reis | Turkey | 2 | 1998– | 3,100 tons | 118.00 | 14.80 | 4.30 | Mk 45 Mod 2 gun | RIM-7, RIM-162 | Harpoon | |
MEKO A-200 SAN | Valour | South Africa | 4 | 2003–2004 | 3,700 tons | 121.00 | 16.34 | 4.40 | Otobreda 76 mm | Umkhonto | Exocet | |
MEKO 100 RMN | Kedah | Malaysia | 6 | 2004–2010 | 1,850 tons | 91.10 | 12.85 | 3.40 | Otobreda 76 mm | – | – | |
MEKO A-100 | ORP Ślązak | Poland | 1 | 2019 | 2,150 tons | 95.20 | 13.30 | 3.60 | Otobreda 76 mm | Grom | – | |
Corvette 130 (K130) | Braunschweig | Germany | 5 | 2008– | 1,840 tons | 88.75 | 12.80 | 3.40 | Otobreda 76 mm | RIM-116 | RBS-15 | |
Frigate 123 (F123) | Brandenburg | Germany | 4 | 1994–1996 | 3,600 tons | 138.85 | 16.70 | 4.35 | Otobreda 76 mm | RIM-116, RIM-7 | Exocet, RBS-15 | |
Frigate 124 (F124) | Sachsen | Germany | 3 | 2002– | 5,690 tons | 143.00 | 17.44 | 4.86 | Otobreda 76 mm | RIM-116, RIM-162, RIM-66 | Harpoon | |
Frigate 125 (F125) | Baden-Württemberg | Germany | +4 | 2016- | 7,200 tons | 149.52 | 18.80 | 5.00 | Otobreda 127 mm | RIM-116 | Harpoon | |
MEKO A-200 AN | Erradi[14] | Algeria | +2 | 2016- | 3,700 tons | 122, | 16.3 | 4.4 | Otobreda 127 mm | Umkhonto IR | RBS-15 | |
(K130-based, no official model)[15][16] | Sa'ar 6 | Israel | 4 | 2020-[17] | 2,000 tons | 90.00 | 12.44 | 3.40 | OTO Melara 76 mm | Barak-8, C-Dome | Harpoon | |
MEKO A-100 BR[18] | Tamandaré | Brazil | 4 | 2024–2028 | 3,360 tons | 107.2 | 16 | 5.2 | OTO Melara 76 mm | CAMM | MANSUP | |
MEKO A-200EN | Al-Aziz[19] | Egypt | 6 | 2022–2025 | 3,700 tons | 120 | 14.8 | 4.3 | Otobreda 127 mm | MICA NG | Exocet |
The Class MEKO® A-100 Patrol Corvette is the latest version of the Class 130 Corvette, which is in service with the German Navy.