MEKO explained

See also: Methylethyl ketone oxime. 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 .^[6] Eight extended versions of MEKO A-100 frigate vessels are planned to be supplied for the Brazilian Navy. 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]

Models

The following MEKO models are known to have been built, organized by lineage and delivery dates:

• MEKO 360 (1981) is the earliest MEKO ship.
• MEKO 140 (1985) is designed as a companion ship of MEKO 360, developed from the Portuguese João Coutinho class corvettes.
• MEKO 200 (1987) is a frigate design. It evolved into the MEKO A-200 (2001) and the larger MEKO A-300 (planned for Greece and Poland).^[8]
• F123 (1994), F124 (2002), and F125 (2016) are a line of MEKO frigates developed for the German Navy.
• K130 (2008) is a corvette designed for the German Navy using some F124 technology.
  • Isreli Sa'ar 6 (2021) is a heavily modified descendant.
• MEKO A-100 (2019) is a current design.
  • The 2012 A-100 is a single corvette developed from the A-200.^[9] It is occasionally quoted as the same as the MEKO 100 RMN (2004).
  • The current design is a family of three sizes (all heavier and longer than the 2012 A-100): corvette, light frigate, patrol corvette.^[10]

, the MEKO website showcases A-200, F125, and A-100 models. The following models were once mentioned on the website, but no examples are known to have been built:

• MEKO CSL (2012 website).
• MEKO D Corvette (2012 website).^[11]
• MEKO 100 patrol corvette (2012 website). Based on both K130 and MEKO 100 patrol vessel.^[12]
• MEKO A-300 frigate based on A-200 and F-125 offered to Greece and Poland^[8]
• MEKO A-400 AMD^[13]

Vessels

Type	Class	Country	Number	Delivery	Weight	Length o.a. (m)	Beam (m)	Draught (m)	Main gun			Image
MEKO 360 H1			1	1981	3,360 tons	125.80	15.00	4.30
MEKO 360 H2			4	1983–1984	3,360 tons	125.80	15.00	4.30
MEKO 140 A16			6	1985–2002	1,560 tons	91.20	11.00	3.33		–
MEKO 200 TN I			4	1987–1989	3,030 tons	110.50	14.20	4.14
MEKO 200 PN			3	1991–	3,400 tons	115.90	14.80	4.10
MEKO 200 HN ^[14]			4	1992	3,360 tons	117.00	14.80	4.10
MEKO 200 TN II-A			2	1995–	3,100 tons	116.70	14.80	4.10
MEKO 200 ANZAC			8 (Aus) 2 (NZ)	1996–2004	3,500 tons	118.00	14.80	4.10			RAN: Harpoon RNZN: None
MEKO 200 TN II-B	Salih Reis		2	1998–	3,100 tons	118.00	14.80	4.30
MEKO A-200 SAN			4	2003–2004	3,700 tons	121.00	16.34	4.40
MEKO 100 RMN			6	2004–2010	1,850 tons	91.10	12.85	3.40		–	–
			1	2019	2,150 tons	95.20	13.30	3.60			–
Corvette 130 (K130)			5	2008–	1,840 tons	88.75	12.80	3.40
Frigate 123 (F123)			4	1994–1996	3,600 tons	138.85	16.70	4.35
Frigate 124 (F124)			3	2002–	5,690 tons	143.00	17.44	4.86
Frigate 125 (F125)			+4	2016-	7,200 tons	149.52	18.80	5.00
MEKO A-200 AN	^[15]		+2	2016-	3,700 tons	122	16.3	4.4
(K130-based, no official model)^[16] ^[17]			4	2020-^[18]	2,000 tons	90.00	12.44	3.40	OTO Melara 76 mm	Barak-8, C-Dome	Harpoon
MEKO A-100 BR^[19]			8	2024–	3,500 tons	107.2	16	5.2
MEKO A-200EN	Al-Aziz^[20]		6	2022–2025	3,700 tons	120	14.8	4.3	Otobreda 127 mm	MICA NG	Exocet

External links

• Brandenburg-class @ Naval-Technology
• Hydra-class @ Naval-Technology
• MEKO A-class @ Naval-Technology
• Sachsen-class @ Naval-Technology
• https://web.archive.org/web/20070927012203/http://www.hansa-online.de/print.asp?artikelID=274 (German)
• Blohm+Voss Class MEKO® A100 Corvette
• At IndoDefence 2012, German shipyard TKMS presented its latest range of Corvettes and OPV

Notes and References

1. News: Overview Products + Services. thyssenkrupp marine systems. 4 August 2019.
2. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsbusiness.php?id=536334 Boustead Gets Letter Of Intent To Build Six Patrol Vessels
3. Web site: MEKO CSL: The Combat Ship for the Littorals . 2010-05-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090302213511/http://defence-guide.com/navy/military-products-and-services/mekoae-csl . 2009-03-02 . dead .
4. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/dti/2010/05/01/DT_05_01_2010_p30-218249.xml&headline=Israeli%20Navy%20Wants%20Stealth%20Corvettes Israeli Navy Wants Stealth Corvettes
5. http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=182358 MOD: No talks with Germany over sub
6. Web site: Israel signs €430m deal for German patrol vessels - Globes English. Globes. 11 May 2015. 2016-07-18.
7. Web site: Por US$ 1,6 bi, consórcio com Embraer é escolhido para construir navios para Marinha. G1. 28 March 2019 . 2019-03-28.
8. Web site: TKMS Lifts Veil On Powerful MEKO A-300 Class Frigate . Ozberk . Tayfun . Naval News . 10 October 2021 . 12 January 2022 .
9. https://web.archive.org/web/20120322234916/http://www.blohmvoss-naval.com/en/meko-a-100.html MEKO® A-100
10. Web site: Corvettes & Light Frigates . thyssenkrupp-marinesystems.com . en . The Class MEKO® A-100 Patrol Corvette is the latest version of the Class 130 Corvette, which is in service with the German Navy..
11. https://web.archive.org/web/20120405081832/http://www.blohmvoss-naval.com/en/meko-d-corvette.html MEKO® D Corvette
12. Web site: Blohm + Voss Naval . www.blohmvoss-naval.com . 12 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120322234613/http://www.blohmvoss-naval.com/en/meko-100-patrol-corvette.html . 22 March 2012 . dead.
13. Web site: Luck . Alex . 2024-07-11 . German F127 AAW Frigate Takes Shape . 2024-07-11 . Naval News . en-US.
14. Web site: Frigates Class Meko-200HN . Hellenic Navy . 2008 . 2008-07-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080530180829/http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/frigates_m_en.asp . 2008-05-30 .
15. Web site: Binnie. James. Algeria commissions second Meko frigate. Jane's 360. 20 July 2017.
16. Web site: Design of Future TKMS Built Saar 6 MEKO A100 Corvettes For Israeli Navy Unveiled. Navy Recognition. 23 August 2015 . 13 June 2017.
17. Web site: Opall-Rome. Barbara. Israeli Navy Marks Milestones at German Shipyards. defensenews. 4 August 2016. 13 June 2017.
18. Web site: Google Translate. translate.google.co.il. 29 March 2017. 2017-06-13.
19. News: Brasil inicia construcción de fragatas clase Tamandaré. Pucará Defensa. 9 September 2022. es.
20. Web site: Egyptian MEKO A200 frigate ENS Al Aziz is fitted with Thales NS100 3D naval radar. 2022-02-09. Navy Recognition. 4 October 2021 . en-gb.