Swedish defence and security company Saab has received a contract to supply and integrate various systems into the Royal Swedish Navy’s (RSwN’s) new frigates.
Sweden is procuring four frigates for the RSwN, the Luleå class. French company Naval Group is building the ships using its FDI (defence and intervention frigate) design. This design is already delivering ships to the French and Greek navies as the Amiral Ronarc’h and Kimon classes, respectively.
Sweden’s new ships are set for delivery from 2030. Construction began in October 2026, following steel cutting at Naval Group’s Lorient shipyard in western France.
According to Saab, its contract comprises equipping the four frigates with the Sea Giraffe 1X lightweight multi-mission surveillance radar, weapon control systems including the Ceros fire-control director and an EOS 500 lightweight fire-control director, RBS15 anti-ship missiles, the Saab Lightweight Torpedo, and the Trackfire Remote Weapon Station (RWS).
Saab said deliveries to Naval Group will take place between 2027 and 2034.
The statement listed the order value as approximately SEK2 billion (USD202.04 million).
In its statement, Saab underscored the cutting-edge nature of Sweden’s indigenous defence technology, and the benefits for Swedish requirements of the company co-operating with other industry partners.
In operational terms, “The Swedish Navy will gain advanced and integrated capabilities to detect, deter, and respond to threats above and below the surface, while effectively countering evolving asymmetric threats across the maritime domain,” Mats Wicksell, head of Saab’s Business Area Naval, said.
As a NATO member, Sweden’s RSwN will use its new frigates to enhance its contribution to alliance requirements significantly. In addition to increasing its presence in the Baltic Sea, where the RSwN brings bespoke expertise, the navy will be able to contribute more regularly and robustly to NATO operations in other North Atlantic waters.
by Dr. Lee Willett
