Ships Service history In August 2004, Sachsen completed a series of live missile firings at the Point Mugu missile launch range off the coast of California that included a total of 11 ESSM and 10 SM-2 Block IIIA missiles. The tests included firings against target drones such as the BQM-74E Chukar III and BQM-34S Firebee I, as well as against missile targets such as the AQM-37C Jayhawk and air-launched Kormoran 1 anti-ship missiles. While serving in NATO Standing Maritime Force 1 in 2004, Sachsen took part in training operations with the United States' aircraft carrier . Since 2006, the three Sachsen-class ships have been assigned to and based in Wilhelmshaven, along with the four Brandenburg-class frigates. The seven frigates together form the 2nd (Frigate Squadron). Operations with American carrier groups continued through the 2000s and 2010s, including inter-operability exercises with Hessen and the carrier in 2010. Hessen thereafter departed for a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, Hamburg became the first German ship to fully integrate into an American carrier strike group in March 2013. Hessen served as the flagship of the NATO Standing Maritime Force 1 in January 2013. In March 2015, Hessen and the frigates and took part in Operation Good Hope, a training exercise conducted with the South African Navy. Exports Rumors emerged in July 2013 that the Israeli Navy had agreed to procure two destroyers from Germany for €1 billion. These had been rumored to be Sachsen-class vessels. Eventually, Israel purchased four s—significantly smaller vessels—from German shipyards in 2015. See also List of naval ship classes in service Similar ships , The Netherlands , Spain FREMM multipurpose frigate, French/Italian collaboration , Norway , Denmark Type 26 frigate, an equivalent British design Footnotes References External links Fregatte SACHSEN-Klasse (in German) - @ Marine (official homepage of the German Navy) Fregatte "Sachsen" (F124) (in German) @ hansa-online.de Stealth ships