Sweden Picks 4,390-Ton French FDI Frigate for 4 Luleå Warships as Russian Threat Grows
Updated
Updated · The War Zone · May 19
Sweden Picks 4,390-Ton French FDI Frigate for 4 Luleå Warships as Russian Threat Grows
10 articles · Updated · The War Zone · May 19
Sweden said its new Luleå class will use the French FDI frigate design, making the ships its largest surface combatants in decades and replacing an earlier plan for smaller air-defense corvettes.
2030 deliveries and the design’s maturity helped decide the contest, with FMV favoring Naval Group’s already-building frigate over British and Spanish rivals as Stockholm rushes to rebuild naval power after joining NATO.
Aster 30 and CAMM-ER missiles will anchor the ships’ air-defense role, which Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said will triple Sweden’s ground- and sea-based air defenses against aircraft, drones and missiles.
Sweden will still localize key systems, fitting Saab equipment, RBS 15 anti-ship missiles, Torped 47 torpedoes and Bofors guns onto the French hull.
The choice deepens Franco-Swedish defense ties and should improve interoperability in the Baltic and North Atlantic, where Sweden sees a more urgent Russian and hybrid-warfare challenge.
Why did Sweden scrap its domestic warship plan for a multi-billion dollar French deal?
Are these advanced frigates the right weapon to counter Russian threats in the shallow Baltic Sea?