Sweden has chosen the Belharra frigates for its navy and will purchase four from France

Sweden announced connected Tuesday that it has selected Naval Group to proviso 4 caller frigates for its navy, successful 1 of the country’s largest defence investments successful caller decades.

The programme concerns the French FDI (Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention) benignant frigates, besides known arsenic Belharra, with the full outgo estimated astatine astir 40 cardinal Swedish kronor, oregon astir $4.25 cardinal (€3.65 billion). It is the aforesaid frigates the Hellenic Navy has chosen too.

The largest subject concern since the 1980s

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described the statement arsenic the country’s largest subject concern since the 1980s.

Stockholm is accelerating its defence procurement programmes pursuing Russia’s penetration of Ukraine and Sweden’s accession to NATO, aiming to importantly fortify its antiaircraft capabilities successful the Baltic Sea.

The caller frigates are expected to go the main pillar of Sweden’s maritime and anti-aircraft defence for decades to come.

Delivery from 2030 and integration of Swedish systems

Defence Minister Pål Jonson stated that the ships volition beryllium capable to integrate weapons systems developed successful Sweden, including technologies from Saab.

The archetypal transportation is expected successful 2030, and the vessels are expected to person a work beingness of astir 40 years.

Naval Group wins implicit British and Spanish bids

The French institution prevailed successful the tender against a associated connection from Britain’s Babcock International and Saab, arsenic good arsenic a solution from Spain’s Navantia.

The caller frigates volition beryllium the largest aboveground warships successful the Swedish fleet, which already operates 5 Visby-class corvettes and is besides modernising its submarine fleet.

Statement by Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron made the pursuing connection aft Sweden’s announcement:

“Sweden has chosen Naval Group’s FDI frigate to modernise its navy. I convey Sweden and admit the spot it places successful France. Following France’s determination to equip itself with Saab’s GlobalEye for renewing its airborne surveillance and aboriginal informing (AWACS) fleet, this is simply a large strategical determination reflecting communal spot betwixt our 2 countries. Our practice has further strengthened successful caller years and extends to Sweden’s information successful guardant defence presence. A beardown and sovereign Europe wrong NATO — this is our shared imaginativeness for communal defence and corporate security. And it is built each day.”