Norway selects the Type 26 for its next frigate
Wait. I can write about things that aren't Canadian?!
I jest, this counts enough to me as news for us that I thought I should mention it, given the significance of having another Type 26 user and the opportunities it opens up for Canada.
Anyways, the official release!
‘Norway and the United Kingdom are close allies, with common interests and strong bilateral ties. I am confident that the strategic partnership with the UK for purchasing, developing and operating frigates is the right decision. This partnership enables Norway to reach the strategic objectives our Parliament set out in the current Long-Term Plan on Defence,’ said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
In connection with the Norwegian defence pledge, the Parliament decided that Norway should select a strategic partner for the acquisition of new frigates, as quickly as possible. This is now being followed up by the Norwegian Government. The Storting has been consulted through the expanded Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. Delivery of the British Type-26 frigates to Norway will start in 2030.
‘Selecting the United Kingdom as a strategic partner for frigates was also recommended by the Chief of Defence. The choice represents a historic strengthening of the defence cooperation between our two countries,’ said Støre.
Since November last year, Norwegian authorities have considered France, Germany, USA and UK as a strategic partner on frigates.
‘It has been a difficult choice. The four candidates, France, Germany, USA and the UK, have provided strong and competitive proposals. They are all close allies, and I wish to express my appreciation for a constructive process and dialogue. All four allies are strategic partners for Norway. The extensive cooperation on security and defence policy will continue at full strength with all of them,’ said Støre.
A stronger strategic partnership
A long-term, strategic partnership on frigates requires deepened and strengthened cooperation in the time to come.
‘Together we will acquire frigates to the British Royal Navy and the Royal Norwegian Navy. We will operate and develop the frigates for the coming decades. This will strengthen our and NATO’s ability to patrol and protect the maritime areas in the High North. This is of great importance to Norwegian, British and allied security in these times of global instability,’ said Støre.
Norway and the United Kingdom have long lasting, close ties. After having operated British vessels during World War II, the post war navy was largely built on British doctrines, tactics and operational concepts.
‘We have strong shared interests in the North Atlantic. Our Armed Forces maintains a close cooperation, and with a joint frigate program, we will be able to operate seamlessly and integrated in our joint areas of interest,’ said Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik.
Extensive industrial cooperation
The strategic partnership with the United Kingdom will be accompanied by extensive industrial cooperation. In the draft agreement the United Kingdom has guaranteed for industrial cooperation with Norwegian industry equivalent to the total value of the acquisition.
‘This is positive for Norwegian industry and Norwegian jobs. The industry will play a vital role especially in maintaining and keeping the vessels up to date. We have identified a wide range of industrial and technological areas of cooperation where Norwegian industry can compete for contracts,’ says Støre.
Ships for anti-submarine operations
The British Type 26 frigates are warships specifically designed to detect, track down and combat submarines. The Norwegian and British vessels will be as identical as possible, and have the same technical specifications.
‘Having identical vessels will enable us to operate even more efficiently together on challenging missions. It will also reduce costs and make joint maintenance easier. Additionally, it opens up the possibility for us to perform joint training of personnel, and perhaps even use Norwegian and British crew interchangeably. This is something we will look into further within the framework of the strategic partnership,’ said Sandvik.
The Norwegian frigates will be equipped with anti-submarine capable helicopters. A decision on what type of helicopter the Norwegian frigates will be operating has not yet been made.
‘The Norwegian frigates will be equipped with helicopters with anti-submarine capability. At the same time, it is important that we consider the rapid technological developments, and explore the possibilities for utilizing unmanned platforms. This is something we will look further into together with British partners,’ said Sandvik.
Separate government agreement
The Norwegian and British governments will soon finalize a binding agreement which sets the framework for the strategic partnership. Once the agreement is signed, the two parties will enter into contract negotiations with the main British supplier, BAE Systems.
In parallel, Norwegian and British authorities will negotiate separate industrial cooperation agreements for various collaborative projects with relevant industrial partners.
‘Our first goal is to finalize the Government agreement shortly. Then we will move into contract negotiations. We will negotiate, among other things, the price and delivery schedule for the vessels, before returning to the Parliament with an investment decision,’ said Sandvik.
I honestly thought this was a longshot for all of us, but I'm super happy to see this.
NATOs Northern flank will now be dominated by partners who share a common frigate design. This is not only good for things like diversifying the supply chain but also for having some form of commonality.
Norway plans to acquire 5/6 total. They will be built to UK configuration, with it likely that HMS Belfast will be given up to make sure the first meets Norways timelines. Norway has had a tight timeline to revieve the first hull before 2030.
That will almost garuntee that one of the in production hulls will be sacrificed. Thats certainly fine for us, however given the current state of the Royal Navy one must ask if giving up a hull doesnt create some complications.
Lets not forget that the current Type 31 are being rushed through just to get new hulls in the water…
Anyways sharing common designs promotes cooperation in areas of training and maintenance, Enhances tactical cohesion, diversifies the supply chain, allows for deepeer cooperation of things like, say, payloads for the mission bay, and helps bring down overall life-cycle costs.
This isn't the only platform shared between the three of us. We also all use the F35 in some capacity, as well as the P-8. Norway is also part of the Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet that shares the A330.
There's actually quite a bit more than you think at first!
Add on to the fact that Canada might also share a submarine class with Norway in the near future and you have a very interesting situation where Canada and Norway share a common designs between both our surface and subsurface fleets.
Interesting to think at least…
The Danes are the odd ones out here. They have their own program with their own design in the works. However, if we're smart, we're also trying to get them in board with as much commonality in terms of equipment as possible.
At a time when Canada is trying to strengthen partnerships and build relations with our Nordic partners, commonality in equipment is an effective way to opening the door to deeper cooperation.
At a deeper level this is also good for continental defence. NATOs Northern flank will now share a mostly common major surface fleet. This will allow for easier cooperation during operations in the North, as well as the sharing of information, expertise and equipment when it comes to things like ASW, where unlike most of our sensors we will all share the same equipment.
This is good for us, and we should be an active participant in this process with the UK and Norway. We should start strengthening the bond now, and working towards making our user group a working one.
Given the Cyclones disastrous existence, maybe we can even ask around about the Merlin? Food for thought!
This is great news. Canada should look to get closer to this somehow. We’re all going to need production help to speed deliveries.
Despite the differing ecosystems all classes of the T26 uses, will this at least reduce costs in some areas like parts and what not?