Spanish Navy F-102 frigate Almirante Juan de Borbon has been visiting Stockholm as Navantia makes it case for Sweden’s Lulea-class warships contract.
The Swedish Navy is shortly set to acquire four new Lulea-class frigates. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) is expected to announce which platform imminently; the Government has said it wants the first two ships delivered in 2030.
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia is one of the three main contenders for the contract. It is offering its Alfa 4000 light frigate design, a 112-metre, 4,000-tonne warship with a crew of about 100, a top speed in excess of 27 knots, and 5,000-nautical-mile range.
Weaponry would likely include a 57mm BOFORS main gun, CIWS, torpedoes, a 16-cell Vertical Launch System for air defence missiles, and four quad launchers for surface missiles. The flight deck and hangar can accommodate a medium-sized helicopter such as a MH-60R Seahawk.
In support of its bid the Spanish Navy frigate Almirante Juan de Borbon, currently the flagship of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG-1) came to Stockholm this month.
As per a company press statement, visitors included Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson, Chief of the Swedish Navy Admiral Johan Norlen, and FMV Director Admiral Fredrik Linden.
Navantia’s President Ricardo Dominguez commented: “Navantia is in a position to be a reliable partner for Sweden, providing a rapidly operational naval capability, fully in line with Swedish requirements, along with enhanced lifecycle support with state-of-the-art digital technologies and close involvement of Swedish industry.”
The other frigate designs considered frontrunners for the Lulea-class frigates are the Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 and Naval Group’s FDI. Babcock has partnered with Saab for the Swedish variant.
The Arrowhead 140 is the basis for the Royal Navy’s forthcoming Type 31 frigates now under construction in Rosyth; meanwhile the FDI platform has already been chosen by the French Navy and the Hellenic Navy.
France’s first FDI, Amiral Ronarc’h, visited Copenhagen earlier this month; Denmark is also thought to be close to a decision on choosing which frigates it wants for its own procurement programme.
The French FDI is widely expected to visit Sweden shortly as Naval Group makes its own case for the Swedish frigates contract.
- You can read more details about the Spanish frigate’s Stockholm visit on the Navantia website