The Type 143A Gepard class is Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

's last class of missile bearing fast attack craft

Fast Attack Craft

Fast Attack Craft are small, fast, agile and offensive warships, that are armed with anti-ship missiles, guns or torpedoes. These are usually operated in close proximity to land as they lack both the sea-keeping and all-round defensive capabilities to survive in blue water. The size of the vessel...

 (Schnellboot in German) and the only one still in service with the German Navy

German Navy

The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...

 since 1990.

It is an evolution of the Type 143 Albatros class

Albatros class fast attack craft

The Type 143 Albatros class was a German class of missile bearing Fast Attack Craft. Each vessel is named after a bird of prey including the albatross, condor and and cormorant....

. It is planned that Gepard class vessels will gradually be supplemented by Braunschweig class corvette

Braunschweig class corvette

The K130 Braunschweig class is Germany's newest class of ocean-going corvettes. They supplement the Gepard class fast attack craft that are currently used.-Technical details:...

s and to be replaced by a new class of corvettes in the 2020s.

The class is named after small, wild animals often of a ferocious nature named respectively cheetah, puma, stoat, mink, sable, ferret, badger, ocelot, weasel and hyena.

List of ships

NATO pennant number Pennant number In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...	Name	Call sign Call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...	Commissioned
P6121	S 71 Gepard	DRCE	December 7, 1982
P6122	S 72 Puma	DRCF	February 17, 1983
P6123	S 73 Hermelin	DRCG	April 28, 1983
P6124	S 74 Nerz	DRCH	July 14, 1983
P6125	S 75 Zobel	DRCI	September 28, 1983
P6126	S 76 Frettchen	DRCJ	December 16, 1983
P6127	S 77 Dachs	DRCK	March 22, 1984
P6128	S 78 Ozelot	DRCL	May 25, 1984
P6129	S 79 Wiesel	DRCM	July 12, 1984
P6130	S 80 Hyäne	DRCN	November 13, 1984

The "S" and the number are part of the ship's full name. When the ships were first commissioned, their designation included only the number; however, the crews petitioned for full names, and the decision was made to combine the original names with the additional animal name.

Since 1 July 2006, all ships are part of the 7. Schnellbootgeschwader (7th Fast Patrol Boat Squadron), whereas for the 8 years prior the flotilla was split into (hulls S 76—S 80) 2. Schnellbootgeschwader (2nd Fast Patrol Boat Squadron), and a smaller (hulls S 71—S 75) 7. Schnellbootgeschwader. The squadron is stationed in Warnemünde

Warnemünde

Warnemünde is a sea resort and northmost district of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, situated on the Baltic Sea in the northeast of Germany at the estuary of the river Warnow.- History :...

, where both predecessor squadrons were also based.