Sweden’s future A26 submarines named HSwMS Blekinge and HSwMS Skåne

The Swedish Navy’s two first A26 submarines will be named HSwMS Blekinge and HSwMS Skåne, the country’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) said on January 15, 2019. The two submarines will be delivered to the Swedish Navy in 2024 and 2025.

Naming submarines with coastal landscape is a tradition through which names are proposed by the Navy and approved by the Swedish King, in the form of a so-called « appreciation ». The final decision is then made by the Chief of Navy.

During a visit to Saab Kockums facilities on June 30, 2015 the former Swedish defence minister, Peter Hultqvist, announced that two submarines will be ordered for a cost of US$ 959 million.

Production of the new submarines is in full swing at Saab’s shipyard in Karlskrona. The A26 submarines will be powered by conventional diesel-electric propulsion machinery and equipped with the Kockums Stirling AIP (air-independent propulsion) system, which means that the A26 should be able to operate for long periods of time without having to charge batteries with snorkel systems. The Stirling system will make the Type A26 very stealthy and difficult to detect.

During its Submarine Seminar 2017, Saab Kockums announced that the A26 next generation submarine is now a family with three model range: Pelagic, Oceanic and Oceanic (Extended Range). 

Among them, the Oceanic variant is pretty much the “baseline” A26 designed for the Swedish Navy. A26 Oceanic measures 65 meters in length with a surfaced displacement of 2,000 tons. Its range is over 6,500 nautical miles at 10 knots and its endurance at patrol speed is over a month (30 days) thanks to the AIP module. It standard crew complement is 17 to 35 sailors.