The Swedish government has selected the French company Naval Group as the preferred supplier of the new generation Luleå-class frigates. The announcement was made during a briefing aboard the Visby-class corvette in Stockholm, attended by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defense Minister Pal Jonson.
According to Naval News, as part of this program, the Naval Group will build four new frigates for Sweden under the FDI project for a total amount of approximately 40 billion Swedish kronor (about 4.25 billion US dollars).
The project of the Belharra-class frigates (type FDI), French Navy
Les Echos
According to Defense Minister Pal Johnson, the choice of Stockholm is due to several key factors, including the maturity of the French development, the prospect of shorter delivery times and the possibility of cost-sharing between France and Greece. He also stressed that the Naval Group's proposed solution already includes a well-proven air defense system.
In addition, future ships will be configured for anti-submarine warfare.
Jonson also noted that Sweden intends to integrate a number of systems of its own production. These include the RBS-15 anti-ship missile from Saab, the Torpedo 47 torpedo system, the G1X radar and the Trackfire remote-controlled weapon modules.
According to reports, the French proposal suggests a delivery schedule according to which the first fully equipped frigate can be delivered to the customer as early as 2030.
The FDI frigates are already in service with the French Navy and have also been ordered by the Greek Navy.
The Luleå-class ship development program arose after the cancellation in 2023 of the Visby-type second-generation corvette project, launched in January 2021. By that time, Saab Kockums had already received a contract for the design stage of the improved 72-meter ship. However, the rapidly changing security situation and Sweden's accession to NATO in the spring of 2024 prompted the local military department to decide to create larger ships with a length of at least 120 meters with increased autonomy and enhanced capabilities.
The length of the FDI–type frigates in the French navy version is 122 meters, the width is 18 meters, and the displacement is 4,500 tons. They can reach speeds of up to 27 knots, a range of 5,000 miles, and autonomy of 45 days. The crew consists of 125 people (additional accommodation for 28 people is possible).
The control of the ships' combat systems is provided by the SETIS 3.0 system of the Naval Group's own design. The frigate's arsenal includes MM40 Exocet anti-ship missiles, Aster-15/30 anti-aircraft missiles, 76-mm artillery systems, remotely controlled 20-mm Narwhal artillery complexes and 324-mm torpedo tubes. It is also planned to base an unmanned aerial vehicle weighing up to 700 kg and an NH90 multi-purpose helicopter on board.
Special attention is paid to the protection of shipboard systems from modern cyber threats, as well as from electronic countermeasures.
