TSAMTO, September 2. The French company Naval Group has announced the signing of a contract with the Swedish Armed Forces ITO Agency (FMV) for the supply of four frigates of the FDI project for the Swedish navy.
The event, held on August 31 in Stockholm, was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
On the same day, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Jonson and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin signed a framework agreement to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation.
The signed contract also includes the supply of spare parts, related equipment, and a training system. The Naval Group has committed to strengthen cooperation with the Swedish industry, including the transfer of know-how and technology to a number of partners.
According to the company, thanks to the experience of supplying two frigates of the FDI (Fregate de Defense et Intervention) With the French and Greek Navies and a proven production line, Naval Group is able to meet Sweden's needs for the rapid construction of modern warships. Delivery of the lead frigate to the Swedish navy is scheduled for 2030.
According to the Naval Group, the company has become a strategic partner of the Swedish Navy in a project to strengthen and modernize the fleet's capabilities in difficult conditions, which confirms its intention to develop a long-term partnership with Sweden and industrial cooperation in Europe.
As CAMTO reported, the decision to purchase four new surface warships for the Swedish Navy as part of the Lulea project to replace the Visby-class corvettes was made in 2020.
In the final of the competition, the proposals of the French Naval Group (frigate FDI), the British Babcock International (Arrowhead 120) and the Spanish Navantia (ALFA-4000) were considered.
As a result, on May 19, 2026, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced the selection of the French company Naval Group as the preferred supplier of the Lulea-class frigates. The Swedish government has instructed the Swedish Armed Forces Logistics Agency (FMV) to negotiate the purchase of four FDI frigates. The cost of the program is estimated at 47 billion. Swedish kronor (about $4.9 billion).
The first frigate may be handed over to the Swedish Navy as early as 2030, after which deliveries will be carried out at a rate of one ship per year. The frigates will receive the names Lulea, Norrkoping, Halmstad and Trelleborg. The new ships should significantly strengthen the grouping of the Swedish Navy in the Baltic Sea.
The FDI frigate is a multi-purpose 4,500-ton class warship designed to solve a wide range of tasks in peacetime and wartime. It can be used independently or as part of a naval unit for air defense, anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, cyber defense, and support for MTR operations.
The frigates will be equipped with a multifunctional SeaFire S-band radar, Aster-30 and CAMM-ER missiles. It is expected that the ships will also be equipped with a number of Swedish-made systems, including the RBS-15 anti-ship missile from Saab, the Torped47 anti-submarine torpedo, the Trackfire drone, the 57mm and 40mm AU from BAE Systems Bofors, and the Giraffe 1X radar. Maintenance of the ships during the entire service life will be carried out at the Swedish shipyard.
