In June 1993, the federal government awarded a study contract to define the new ship class . In 1996, an order for three frigates was placed with the consortium ARGE F124 as general contractor. The first shipyard test drive took place on August 28, 2001, and in October 2001 the Sachsen and her future crew were relocated to Wilhelmshaven and further tested under the shipyard flag. On October 31, 2002 the frigate was handed over to the Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement . In November 2004 the Sachsen with its home port Wilhelmshaven was put into service.
On June 21, 2018, during a joint practice shooting with the frigate Lübeck in a Norwegian test and exercise area, a missile type Standard Missile SM-2 malfunctioned : The drive of an anti-aircraft missile burned down shortly after it was fired without the Missile left the starter. The initial fire could be extinguished, two soldiers suffered a shock. Both ships entered the Norwegian port of Harstad on the morning of June 22nd to assess the extent of the necessary repairs.
On December 12, 2016, the Saxons left to replace the Dutch frigate De Ruyter in Standing Nato Maritime Group 2. She served the commander Flotilla Admiral Axel Deertz as the flagship. On the first weekend in April she was again replaced as the flagship by the frigate Brandenburg . On the way back, the Sachsen was involved in NATO's Sea Guardian maritime surveillance operation for a few days .
On January 5, 2018, the frigate Sachsen left for mission EUNAVFOR MED in the Mediterranean . There it replaced the frigate Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania . On May 11, 2018, the Sachsen returned to her home port after 120 days of deployment. In the course of this mission she rescued 403 people from distress and covered a total of over 20,000 nautical miles.