MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Four French frigates for Swedish navy, in a plus US$ 3.5 billion deal

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the military had completed an analysis of three rival bids in search of the one best placed to meet its needs.

The Swedish government this week announced a deal to purchase four new frigates for its navy from France’s Naval Group. Sweden neutral throughout the Cold War, applied for NATO membership in May 2022 alongside Finland, following on Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the military had completed an analysis of three rival bids in search of the one best placed to meet its needs.

“Based on that analysis, the government has now decided that Sweden will purchase four new frigates in a very large international defense-industrial deal,” Kristersson told a press conference.

“It is a tripling of Sweden's air defense capability compared with today,” the prime minister said.

Sweden is buying four of the French Defense and Intervention (FDI) frigate models sold by Naval Group in what Kristersson described as the country's biggest military investment since the 1980s, when the country introduced its Gripen fighter planes.

It expects the first delivery by 2030, with the remaining three following by 2035. Sweden expects each ship to cost “just over 10 billion” Swedish crowns (roughly €0.9 billion or US$ 1.05 billion), depending on the exact weapons systems on board, for a likely total of more than €3.5 billion, but the ministers stressed these figures remained estimates.

The government requested that the ships be outfitted so that several weapons developed in Sweden, including by Saab, can be used on them, Defense Minister Pal Jonson said.

The new frigates, which the government previously said would have a 40-year lifespan, will represent a significant expansion of the Scandinavian country's maritime defense capabilities.

Sweden currently has five smaller Visby class corvettes in its fleet, as well as a pair of older Gävle class corvettes. Beyond these warships it operates a small fleet of submarines that are being upgraded, as well as various other command, support, patrol, reconnaissance, training and small attack vessels.

Sweden's right-of-center coalition is one of Ukraine's staunchest backers in Europe. It aims to reach defense spending of 3.5% of GDP by 2030, several years ahead of NATO's targets.

Naval Group won the race for the contract with the government in Stockholm despite rival bids from Navantia in Spain and a joint bid from Britain's Babcock in conjunction with Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab.

Neighboring Norway, for instance, last year opted for the other path, ordering Babcock's Arrowheat 120 frigates over the FDI from Naval Group.

Defense Minister Jonson said factors including the ability to complete a “quick delivery,” cost-sharing with France and fellow customers Greece, and the inclusion of a proven air defense system were among the reasons to select the Naval Group offer.