Germany will order a fourth signals intelligence ship of a new class, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday, adding the budget draft was on its way to parliament for approval.
Speaking in the northeastern town of Wolgast at the keel-laying ceremony for the third such ship built by Rheinmetall, Pistorius said the vessels were crucial for providing situational awareness in a deteriorating security environment.
"These ships can hear and see what others cannot hear and see. They are our eyes and ears at sea. They perceive and analyse a huge extent of signals and sounds."
The German Navy is set to take delivery of the new class of ships from 2029.
(Reporting by Reuters TV, writing by Sabine Siebold, editing by Thomas Seythal)
