On November 6, 2026, Saab announced that it had signed a contract with Naval Group to equip the FDI frigates ordered by the Swedish Navy.
Saab press release
Saab has signed a contract with the French defence company Naval Group to deliver and integrate weapon control systems and sensors for four FDI frigates to Sweden. The order value is approximately SEK 2 billion (≈ 203,4 million USD) and Saab’s deliveries to Naval Group will take place between 2027 and 2034.
“We are proud to equip Swedish ships with our cutting-edge products. This shows that Saab not only continues to provide capabilities with the highest relevance to our home market, but also that we achieve it through cooperations. The Swedish Navy will gain advanced and integrated capabilities to detect, deter, and respond to threats above and below the surface, while effectively countering evolving asymmetric threats across the maritime domain,” says Mats Wicksell, head of Saab’s business area Naval.
The contract comprises equipping the FDI frigates with a Weapon Control System, Fire Control Director Ceros and EOS 500, anti-ship missile RBS15, Saab Lightweight Torpedo as well as Trackfire Remote Weapon Station and the lightweight multi-mission surveillance radar Sea Giraffe 1X.
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Naval News comments
The formal procurement contract signed on August 31, 2026, represents a monumental shift for European naval cooperation and the defense posture of the Baltic region. Valued at approximately €4.3 billion, the agreement commits Naval Group to delivering four advanced Defense and Intervention Frigates (FDI) to the Royal Swedish Navy.
Key highlights from the landmark agreement include:
- Enhanced Baltic Deterrence: The acquisition is designed to drastically scale up Sweden’s naval air-defense and anti-submarine warfare capabilities, creating a potent deterrent in the challenging operating environments of the Baltic Sea and the High North.
- National System Integration: While built around Naval Group’s versatile, combat-proven FDI architecture—featuring the signature inverted bow and cutting-edge digital infrastructure—the ships will seamlessly integrate core Swedish defense tech, including Saab’s Giraffe 1X radars, RBS15 anti-ship missiles, and BAE Systems Bofors guns.
- Tight Delivery Schedule: Demonstrating rapid industrial momentum, the first-in-class FDI Luleå advanced directly to a steel-cutting ceremony in Lorient just one month after the contract signing, with serial deliveries slated to run from 2030 through 2034.
This high-stakes procurement underscores a deepening industrial partnership between Paris and Stockholm, ensuring that the Royal Swedish Navy will field world-class multirole combatants capable of protecting vital NATO reinforcement lines well into the decades ahead.
For a deeper visual dive into the program specifications and the implications of this major acquisition, check out this Sweden Orders 4 FDI Frigates Interview.
