Sweden formally applied to join NATO in May 2022, a move prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Sweden’s application was approved in March 2024.
Now that Sweden is a full NATO member, the RSwN is looking at how to evolve its capability, operations, and overall approach to operating within the alliance, Rear Admiral Fredrik Lindén – Director Naval Systems Division at FMV, Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration – told the Naval Leaders’ Combined Naval Event 2024 (CNE 24) conference in Farnborough, UK.
“We are making changes to our technology and the procedures that make us a valid contributor in northern waters and in the High North as well. The biggest change for Sweden is a change in mindset. After 250 years as a non-aligned country, basing our defence on a defensive strategy with some offensive elements, we’re now shifting focus to become an offensive force to establish and maintain control in our area.”
Rear Admiral Fredrik Lindén – Director Naval Systems Division at FMV
This area is the Baltic Sea region, including all its inlets plus the Skagerrak/Kattegat straits (the maritime chokepoint connecting the region to the North Sea).
“Our first priority of business would be the Baltics, most likely: the Baltics is our home turf,” said Rear Adm Lindén. “We do consider ourselves natural contributors to NATO’s standing naval forces (SNFs), be that blue, green, or brown water – we can do all three. However, we do believe that initially our main contribution will be in the Baltic, the Skagerrak/Kattegat, and the inlets.”
The Baltic Sea is a busy region, with ships criss-crossing its waters and critical underwater infrastructure criss-crossing its seabed. Overall, the admiral said, the region’s waters are confined, confused, congested, contested, and cluttered.
“At any given time, you will [see] approximately 4,000 ship movements in the Baltic and all the inlets,” Rear Adm Lindén explained. “It’s a targeting nightmare. Even if this area was involved in a high-end conflict, there would still be shipping there.” “We have the capability today to take, maintain, and establish control in the Baltics – but we also need to enforce and enhance our capabilities, to be a valid member of NATO,” he added. “We [need] to provide ourselves and NATO the recognised maritime picture in this area.”
The RSwN sees its surface ships as central to generating surveillance presence to support the building of this picture in the Baltic, and to support NATO operations in the North Atlantic and High North.
To enhance its surface ship capacity to enable better support of national and NATO interests, Sweden is undertaking three main developments, Rear Adm Lindén said.
First, it is conducting a mid-life upgrade (MLU) of its five Visby-class corvettes. MLU work will include delivering a surface-to-air missile (SAM) capability, provided by MBDA’s Sea Ceptor air-defence system.
Second, the RSwN will receive four new Luleå-class surface combatants. Two are scheduled to be delivered before 2030, and two before 2034, said Rear Adm Lindén. The programme was established to build what was referred to as a ‘second generation’ Visby class. However, in 2022 the RSwN opted for a larger, more capable vessel to enhance capacity to support NATO SNF and integrated air/missile defence requirements.
Third, in April 2024, Defence Commission of Sweden issued guidance for the navy to develop an additional surface ship class, with four more new platforms to replace the two in-service Gävle-class corvettes and two in-service Stockholm-class patrol vessels. The navy is evaluating options for replacing these ships, said Rear Adm Lindén. The Defence Commission’s guidance included recommendation that the RSwN should seek an existing ship design and an existing shipyard, to enable ship delivery as soon as possible.
Sweden will begin the programme’s concept phase later in 2024, with a decision on budget approval due by the year’s end, an FMV spokesperson told Naval News. As recommended by the Defence Commission, delivery should be considered for the mid-2030s, the spokesperson added.
New surface combatant for Sweden: Luleå-class
Rear Adm Lindén provided further details on the Luleå-class surface combatant.
The RSwN is referring to the vessel as a corvette, although this may change depending on capability requirements. “The size will be driven by the number of SAMs,” said Rear Adm Lindén. “We’re trying to keep the size as small as possible, but we’re going to end up at 110-115 metres [in length]. I can’t really say what the weight will be right now, but it depends on what you put in the ship.”
Flexibility and future-proofing will be enabled by a space at the ship’s aft end, below the flight deck. The RSwN is considering options including developing a modular concept for this space, the admiral added.
The RSwN and FMV are hoping to receive approval to proceed with the Luleå-class programme in the coming weeks, Rear Adm Lindén said.
The Luleå-class concept reflects the RSwN’s evolving thinking on how it should adapt to being a NATO navy. “The thought is to build endurance. The thought is also to be a valued contributor, being in NATO as an alliance. This means operating in both the Baltics and blue water,” said Rear Adm Lindén.
“Having both capability and being a valid and relevant member of the alliance … is one of the biggest shifts we have made in a very long time,” he added.
