Naval Group begins production on the Royal Swedish Navy’s first FDI frigate, the FDI Luleå, in Lorient just one month after the contract was signed.
Naval Group press release
On 1st October 2026, the steel-cutting ceremony of the first Royal Swedish Navy Defence and Intervention Frigate, FDI Luleå, took place in the Naval Group shipyard of Lorient, one month after the signing of the contract for the procurement of four FDI.
Only one month after the signing of the contract for the procurement of four frigates for the Royal Swedish Navy on 31st August 2026, the first FDI Luleå is already in production in Lorient, with the first delivery scheduled in 2030.
The ceremony was led by Rear-Admiral Fredrik Lindén, Head of Naval Systems at the FMV (Swedish Defence Materiel Administration), in the presence of Caroline Vicini, Sweden’s Ambassador to France.
“I would like to thank the Swedish authorities for their trust. It is a great honour to put our expertise at the service of Sweden’s sovereignty and naval superiority. Today, we are proud to begin FDI Luleå‘s industrial journey in Lorient. All Naval Group sites and teams are fully involved in the success of the programme, in close cooperation with the FMV both in France and in Sweden,”
Vincent Martinot-Lagarde, Naval Group’s Executive VP for Surface Ships
A long-term cooperation with the Swedish industry
Naval Group is fully committed to strengthening its cooperation with Swedish industry through a structured, and long-term industrial partnership.
Naval Group’s tried-and-tested production line delivering two FDI a year
The FDI production line is fully operational and capable of delivering in high production rates, to rapidly strengthen and modernise fleet capabilities, in a particular challenging operational context.
To achieve and maintain this high level of production, Naval Group has been investing for years in its shipyards and calls upon different solutions to further accelerate and increase production capacities, from local construction to partnerships developed with other European shipyards.
A total of 13 FDI have been ordered so far, to serve three different NATO navies. The production line remains fully operational with available new delivery slots in 2030.
An operational and first rank multirole frigate
With its signature inverted bow, the FDI has proven in high sea states its superior stability, and mission performance during the maiden journey of the first FDI for France. This combat-ready vessel has already demonstrated its capabilities for long-endurance and high-intensity operations, under the most demanding conditions all around the globe, in all warfare domain, notably anti-submarine and anti-air capabilities.
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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.
