NVL has announced the beginning of the first Type 424 Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) and Reconnaissance ship.
High-ranking officials from the German Navy attended the steel-cutting ceremony. Three ships will be built to replace the ageing Oste-class (Type 423) SIGINT ships. The contract for three ships and a training centre is valued at €3.3 billion.
Type 424 will have various passive and active SIGINT and underwater surveillance sensors. The self-protection capabilities will include electronic warfare and low-noise propulsion systems against underwater threats.
The Baltic Sea is likely to be a regular zone of operations for Type 424 SIGINT ships due to the recent sabotage of underwater infrastructure and the ship's underwater surveillance capabilities.
Intelligence ships are mostly unarmed (if armed, they carry light weaponry for limited self-defence) to avoid provocations while gathering information. Despite this, the specialised equipment and enhancements put the price tag higher than warships of similar size.
