 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2013) |
 A52 Oste in 2006
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, Flensburg |
| Operators |  German Navy |
| Preceded by | Type 422 class |
| Succeeded by | Type 424 class |
| In commission | 1988–present |
| Completed | 3 |
| Active | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 3,200 tonnes |
| Length | 83.5 m (273 ft 11 in) |
| Beam | 14.6 m (47 ft 11 in) |
| Draught | 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 diesel engines, 3,300 kW (4,400 hp) each |
| Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h) |
| Range | More than 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km) |
| Complement | 36 + up to 40 mission specialists |
| Sensors and processing systems | ELINT/COMINT sensors |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | Electronic countermeasures[specify] |
| Armament | None |
The Type 423 Oste class are purpose built signals intelligence (SIGINT/ELINT) and reconnaissance ships of the German Navy.[1] Officially designated as "fleet service ships", they replaced the Type 422 class.
The Oste-class ships were designed as reconnaissance units during the Cold War. From the 1990s, the tasks were expanded to early warning and telecommunications reconnaissance in cooperation with other units of German and international armed forces. Civil officers of BND are working on the ships on a regular basis.
Accommodation for the crew was designed to meet civil standards, and the Oste class offers much more comfort for the crew than other ships in the German Navy.
The ships are set to be replaced from 2027-2029 when the new Type 424 is planned to come into service.[2] The three new ships will cost €3.3 billion (2023).
- ^ "Oste class". Military Today. Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Germany signs off on Type 424 AGI build contract". Janes. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.