Sweden is going to buy four defense and intervention frigates from Naval Group, announced Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. This success is a strategic victory for the French naval group in a highly NATO-dominated area, which is considered a hunting ground by countries close to the United States, particularly the United Kingdom and Germany.
There were some weak signals in recent days indicating a possible victory for Naval Group in Sweden after a very intense competition, particularly against the British group Babcock, according to a source close to the matter. It’s done! Sweden will buy four defense and intervention frigates armed with Aster 30 air defense missiles (MBDA) from the French naval group for over four billion euros, announced Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Tuesday. After its failure in Norway in 2025, Naval Group made extra efforts to convince Stockholm. It was eventually preferred over offers from the British group Babcock, the Spanish Navantia, and the Swedish Saab. It is also a significant victory for Naval Group in a highly NATO-dominated zone.
“It is one of the largest Swedish investments in defense since the introduction of the Gripen fighter jet in the 1980s,” stated Ulf Kristersson, without revealing the contract amount. “This represents a tripling of Sweden’s anti-aircraft defense capabilities,” added the Prime Minister, highlighting that these frigates are equipped with missiles. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine and Sweden’s accession to NATO in 2024, Sweden has significantly strengthened its defense investments.
The three reasons for success
Why did Sweden favor France’s offer? For three good reasons. Naval Group promised a quick delivery of a combat-proven frigate, as stated by the Swedish Prime Minister. The French group, which also offered Sweden the naval cruise missile (MdCN) from MBDA (with a range of over 1000 km), could deliver all or part of the four frigates before 2030. The Lorient site and the entire supply chain are currently capable of delivering two FDI per year. Naval Group has a track record of rapid delivery. For instance, the group signed a contract for the manufacture of three FDI in Greece in 2022, delivered the first frigate in 2025, and is expected to deliver the other two FDI in 2026.
