German Navy

It's not the navy that wants them, it's lobbyists for TKMS in the parliament.

And yes, it probably means less F126. The official statement from the MoD is that "the two-track approach does not prejudice the future of the F126 project".

The intention is for a stop-gap, not a backup.

kato said:

As of July 2025 these restructuring plans were put on hold since the Bundeswehr has issued a stop on sales of any former military areas. The City of Kiel does own most of the area, but has entered (ongoing) negotiations with the Bundeswehr since with the current geopolitical climate there's the potential for the federal government simply expropriating the area for military use.

Click to expand...

The City of Kiel and the Bundeswehr have now signed a memorandum (not legally binding for either side) about the Bundeswehr buying back the entire area in the linked post, with the exception of the future WSV base already owned by the federation. It's planned to move the naval infantry battalion from Eckernförde base to Kiel, in addition to some basic training facilities.

As part of the memorandum the Bundeswehr gets to expand its naval base in Kiel-Wik a few km south of the area. In return there are nine smaller areas throughout the city which "the Bundeswehr" (actually the federal government) will sell to the local government. These include the current WSV base, but also e.g. some federal-owned research institute and similar sites. The main portion of these returns is 12 hectares on the south side of Kiel Airport for residential development adjacent to the Bundeswehr-bought-back areas.