The Global Combat Ship partnership has a new member after Norway officially signed up to the multinational warship programme.
The agreement will supply Britain and Norway with Type 26 frigates, Australia with Hunter-class frigates, and Canada with River-class destroyers. The core design is from BAE Systems, which is the prime contractor for the Australian and British vessels; Irving Shipbuilding takes this role in Canada.
The Royal Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy warships will be produced to near-identical specifications, while the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Australian Navy vessels are likely to feature bespoke combat systems, weapons, and sensors.
Royal Norwegian Navy representatives signed the Global Combat Ship User Group Charter when members gathered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, recently for discussion and a chance to see how the first Royal Canadian Navy destroyer was shaping up.
The keel of the future HMCS Fraser was laid down at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard in April 2025; in January this year the shipbuilder announced it had built, lifted and flipped the first unit making up her hull.
The Canadian programme of 15 ships will run into the 2050s and is projected to cost at least C$77 billion; the first-in-class is scheduled to be commissioned in the early 2030s.
Australia’s Hunter-class programme aims to deliver nine advanced anti-submarine warfare ships to the Royal Australian Navy, replacing its Anzac-class frigates.
Meanwhile Norway intends to procure at least five Type 26 frigates and will operate them side-by-side with the Royal Navy’s fleet of up to eight identical warships. Their core task will focus on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions to help safeguard the North Atlantic and Europe’s northern flank.
The first British Type 26 frigate, HMS Glasgow, is expected to enter service and reach Initial Operating Capability in 2028; the initial Norwegian warship in the programme is earmarked to be commissioned in 2029 or 2030.
Chief of the Fleet Programme for the Royal Norwegian Navy Captain Alexander Erichsen said: “This marks an important step in our strategic partnership with the United Kingdom and reinforces our close cooperation with Canada and Australia.
“By aligning our future frigate capability on a common design, we strengthen interoperability, shared understanding and collective maritime security across allied navies. Norway looks forward to contributing actively to the Global Combat Ship collaboration and to benefiting from the strong industrial and operational partnerships that underpin it.”
The Senior Responsible Owner for the U.K. Type 26 frigate programme, Commodore Stephen Roberts, commented: “It is a pleasure to formally welcome Norway into the Global Combat Ship User Group community through signing of the joint charter.”
He added: “Our strategic maritime security partnership with allies is further strengthened by Norway’s inclusion in the wider GCS enterprise alongside our Canadian and Australian partners.”
- You can read more details on the Royal Navy website