Russian sabotage tests German naval defenses with covert attack
The inspector of the German navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, confirmed successful acts of sabotage on several German ships, including the newest corvette Emden, which has not yet been commissioned. "This is an attempt by Russia to test Germany's defence capabilities."
The sabotage act revealed by "Süddeutsche Zeitung" is not an isolated incident. As confirmed by the inspector of the German navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, during the "Navy Talks" conference, saboteurs managed to damage several German warships.
One of them is the new corvette Emden, not yet handed over to the German navy. Many kilograms of metal fragments were detected in its propulsion system. If the ship's propulsion had been activated, it would have caused severe damage.
There have also been attempts to breach German naval base territories from both land and sea. Although the perpetrators of these actions have not been apprehended, the German vice admiral openly points out that Russia is behind these hostile actions, testing German defence capabilities.
Sabotage at the shipyard
The corvette Emden, built at the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg, is the seventh of the planned ten (with an option for five additional) K130 Braunschweig-class corvettes. Israel is also building its own Sa’ar 6 corvettes based on the modified K130 design.
K130 Braunschweig-class corvettes are 89-metre-long vessels with a displacement exceeding 1,980 tonnes. Although they were designed for coastal operations, they are also suitable for ocean missions due to their size.
German K130 corvette project
Their primary armament consists of RBS15 Mk.3 anti-ship missiles housed in four launchers. One OTO Melara 76 mm calibre gun and two Mauser BK-27 automatic cannons supplement this. The ship also has two 21-cell launchers for RIM-116 anti-aircraft missiles. Notably, there is a lack of anti-submarine warfare weapons in the specification.
Helicopters can partially fulfil this role, with a landing pad designated on the rear deck for their handling. The ship also features a hangar for two reconnaissance drones.
