The Hamburg in Operation Irini in August

(B2) It is now official. The frigate Hamburg will join the arms embargo control operation EUNAVFOR Med Irini

This will come as no surprise to loyal B2 readers to whom we had already announced the departure (read: The Italian flagship of Operation Irini, the San Giorgio, arrives as reinforcements).

Leaving on August 4, for 4 and a half months

The frigate, which bears the hull number F-220, will depart from Heppenser Groden Naval Base, Wilhemhaven, on Tuesday (August 4), the German Navy announced. On board, two helicopters and a boarding unit from the maritime battalion (Seebattalions). Duration of the mission: 4 and a half months. The return is expected just before Christmas, on December 20.

Full operational capability reached

This will allow the European operation to reach full operational capability, just days before the informal meeting of EU Defense Ministers in Berlin in the last week of August. However, it took nearly five months for the operation to reach this maturity.

Surveillance capability over an area of ​​400 km

This Sachsen-class frigate is a versatile ship designed for both escort and maritime control. With its SMART-L radar, with a range of more than 400 km, capable of detecting more than 1000 targets simultaneously, it can monitor a vast airspace. Its computer system makes it possible to process all the data coming from radars and other sensors as well as information from allied ships.

A mission under the influence of the coronavirus

Commander Jan Fitschen (42), who commands the ship, is well aware of the difficulty of the task ahead. A mission whose the preparation, like the unfolding, is placed under the sign of Corona ". The sailors were placed in a special quarantine during the first two weeks of transit, including two tests for Covid-19. Port calls will also be significantly different. Sailors may not make landfall until they return to Wilhemhaven.

(NGV)