{"text":[[{"start":8.55,"text":"Berlin plans to scrap a multibillion-euro project to build the biggest warship commissioned by the German navy since the second world war, in what has become one of the biggest procurement fiascos in the country’s recent history."}],[{"start":22.3,"text":"Defence minister Boris Pistorius and other senior officials on Tuesday informed industry figures and senior MPs of their intention to abandon plans to build six F126 frigates, according to two people familiar with the matter."}],[{"start":36.15,"text":"Berlin instead intends to buy eight smaller Meko A-200 frigates, the people said. "}],[{"start":41.55,"text":"The plans, first reported by Der Spiegel, are a blow for defence giant Rheinmetall, which had been expecting to become lead contractor on the F126 frigate programme in a €12.8bn deal."}],[{"start":54,"text":"It is also a painful decision for the German government at a time when Berlin is seeking to take a leading role in European defence and security and planning to spend €780bn on overhauling the country’s military between now and the end of 2030. About €2bn in costs on the F126 programme are expected to be written off."}],[{"start":75.2,"text":"The 166-metre-long F126 frigate, weighing 10,000 tonnes, was intended to be a multipurpose warship that could remain at sea for long periods of time and perform a variety of roles. "}],[{"start":88.15,"text":"A key capability was meant to be anti-submarine warfare: a task that became ever more important after Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Nato countries stepped up efforts to deter Russia in the Baltic and the north Atlantic."}],[{"start":104.9,"text":"Dutch shipyard Damen Naval won a contract with the German government to build four F126 frigates in 2020, and the deal was later expanded to include two additional vessels."}],[{"start":116.4,"text":"But the project suffered cost overruns and delays, caused partly by software problems as well as communication difficulties between Germany’s procurement agency and Damen."}],[{"start":126.95,"text":"Growing tensions between Damen and German officials led the two sides to agree to begin a process to relieve the Dutch group of its role as lead contractor and instead hand it to Rheinmetall."}],[{"start":138.8,"text":"The Düsseldorf-based defence giant this year closed a €1.5bn deal to buy Naval Yards Lürssen, as part of an ambitious expansion beyond its traditional realm of armoured vehicles, artillery and ammunition into shipbuilding."}],[{"start":154.15,"text":"Taking over the F126 programme was a key part of Rheinmetall’s plans to integrate its technologies across different weapons systems spanning the domains of land, sea, air and space. "}],[{"start":167,"text":"In March, the government announced plans to buy four Meko A-200 frigates from German shipbuilder TKMS at a cost of about €1bn each, while also retaining the option to build the six F126 vessels."}],[{"start":181.2,"text":"Rheinmetall meanwhile proposed a price tag of €12.8bn to take over the F126 programme."}],[{"start":189,"text":"The contract was finalised and had been due to be submitted to the Bundestag’s budget committee for approval before the summer recess."}],[{"start":196.2,"text":"But MPs had grown increasingly uneasy about the cost of the F126 frigates and the time it would take to deliver them."}],[{"start":204.04999999999998,"text":"One person familiar with the project, who insisted that Rheinmetall and Damen had been making good progress, asked what would now happen to the first F126 hull that had been taking shape at the Wolgast shipyard in north-east Germany. "}],[{"start":216.74999999999997,"text":"He said: “Will it now all be sent to scrap?”"}],[{"start":220.04999999999998,"text":"Rheinmetall declined to comment. The German defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment."}],[{"start":234.14999999999998,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1782270608_6644.mp3"}