Norway opts for U.K.’s Type 26 for its new frigates

Rendering of Type 26 frigate

The Norwegian Government has selected the United Kingdom as its strategic partner for the acquisition of new frigates. The purchase of the British Type 26 frigates will be the largest single investment in Norwegian defense capabilities to date.

“Norway and the United Kingdom are close allies, with common interests and strong bilateral ties. I am confident that the decision to enter into a strategic partnership with the UK on purchasing, developing and operating frigates is the right one. This partnership will enable Norway to achieve the strategic objectives of the current Long-term Defense Plan, as agreed by the Storting,” said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, in an announcement released Friday,

The Norwegian authorities have been assessing the possibility of a strategic partnership on the acquisition of new frigates with either France, Germany, the U.S. or the U.K. since November last year.

“This has been a difficult choice. The four candidates – France, Germany, the U.S .and the U.K. – have submitted strong, competitive proposals. They are all close allies, and I would like to thank them for a constructive process and dialogue. All four countries are strategic partners for Norway, and we will continue to work to further develop our already wide-ranging security and defence cooperation with all of them,” said Mr Støre.

“This is good for Norwegian industry and Norwegian jobs. Norwegian companies will have a vital role to play, especially in maintaining and keeping the vessels up to date. We have also identified a wide range of industrial and technological areas of cooperation where Norwegian companies can compete for contracts”he added.

The British Type 26 frigates are warships specifically designed to detect, track and combat submarines. The Norwegian and British vessels will be as identical as possible, and will have the same technical specifications.

The Norwegian and U.K. Governments will soon finalize a binding agreement establishing the framework for the strategic partnership. Once the agreement has been signed, the two parties will enter into contract negotiations with the main British supplier, BAE Systems.

In parallel, the Norwegian and U.K. authorities will negotiate separate industrial cooperation agreements for various collaborative projects with relevant industrial partners.

Major boost for Scottish shipbuilding

U.K Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said that the partnership with Norway isset to secure 2,000 jobs in Scotland until the late 2030s with a further 2,000 roles sustained across the wider U.K. supply chain.

The deal will see a combined fleet of 13 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates – eight British and at least five Norwegian – operate jointly in Northern Europe, significantly strengthening NATO’s northern flank

The deal will support 2,000 jobs at BAE Systems’ shipyards in Glasgow and a further 2,000 roles across the U.K. maritime supply chain until the late 2030s. The agreement is expected to support 103 Scottish businesses which includes 54 small and medium enterprises