Oste-class fleet service ship

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Oste in 2006
Class overview
Builders	Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, Flensburg
Operators	German Navy
Preceded by	Type 422
Succeeded by	Type 424
In commission	1988–present
Completed	3
Active	3
General characteristics
Displacement	3,200 t (3,100 long tons)
Length	83.5 m (273 ft 11 in)
Beam	14.6 m (47 ft 11 in)
Draught	4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
Propulsion	2 diesel engines, 3,300 kW (4,400 hp) each
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h)
Range	More than 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km)
Complement	36 + up to 40 mission specialists
Sensors & processing systems	ELINT/COMINT sensors
Electronic warfare & decoys	Electronic countermeasures[specify]

The Type 423 Oste class are purpose built signals intelligence (SIGINT/ELINT) and reconnaissance ships of the German Navy.^[1] Officially designated as "fleet service ships", they replaced the Type 422 class.

The Oste-class ships were designed as reconnaissance units during the Cold War. From the 1990s, the tasks were expanded to early warning and telecommunications reconnaissance in cooperation with other units of German and international armed forces. Civil officers of BND are working on the ships on a regular basis.

Accommodation for the crew was designed to meet civil standards, and the Oste class offers much more comfort for the crew than other ships in the German Navy.

The ships are set to be replaced from 2029-2031 when the new Type 424 is planned to come into service.^[2] The three new ships will cost €3.3 billion (2023).