The Norwegian government plans to invite the French, German, British, and US governments to discuss a potential replacement for the Royal Norwegian Navy’s five Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates.
A long-term plan to acquire five, and possibly six, new anti-submarine frigates was already passed by the Norwegian Parliament in June.
The plan calls for acquiring vessels as part of a “long-term and mutually beneficial strategic partnership” rather than a stand-alone buy, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense said in a press release.
Largest Defense Acquisition
Norway is also looking to join an existing frigate program to accelerate the acquisition, thereby limiting the need for future upgrade investments on the operational Nansen-class.
“The new frigates represent the largest acquisition planned for the Norwegian Armed Forces in the coming years,” Norwegian Minister of Defence Bjorn Arild Gram said.
“Solid and predictable cooperation on both security and defense policy will be at the heart of the strategic partnership that we envision, which will include everything from force generation to operations and joint development of new capabilities. It is therefore essential that we and our partners have the same long-term interests.”
Decision in 2025
A final decision on a new strategic partner will be made in 2025, by which time the first Nansen-class vessel will have completed 19 years of service life.
Four of the fleet’s vessels are operational while one sunk in 2018 following a collision with an oil tanker. The ship was subsequently scrapped.
The Nansen class is focused on anti-submarine warfare, featuring eight Naval Strike Missiles and four torpedo tubes for StingRay torpedoes.