Saab is backing a British-designed warship as it competes to secure Sweden’s next major surface combatant programme, promoting Babcock’s Arrowhead 120 frigate as a candidate for the Swedish Navy’s planned Luleå-class, according to reporting in Swedish media.
The design, developed by UK defence firm Babcock, is being positioned as a multi-role frigate intended for operations in the Baltic Sea, North Sea and Arctic regions, with Saab arguing it offers the endurance and flexibility Sweden requires for future maritime threats.
Babcock has confirmed it is not submitting a separate bid of its own to Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), instead placing its full weight behind the joint Saab-Babcock proposal.
“We believe it is the optimal design for Swedish needs,” said Ilgi Kim, commercial manager at Babcock as reported by dn.se.
According to the companies, Arrowhead 120 is a frigate design of around 120 metres in length, with an emphasis on air defence and anti-submarine warfare capability. Marketing material describes a platform designed for long-range deployments and adaptable mission profiles, with modular spaces intended to allow the ship to be reconfigured over its service life.
The design includes a flight deck and hangar arrangement able to support medium naval helicopters, with documentation also referencing the ability to operate uncrewed rotary aircraft. Saab has highlighted aviation and mission flexibility as central to the ship’s ability to conduct maritime surveillance, escort duties and submarine hunting operations.
“This ship has the endurance to be out on long missions,” said Lars Brännström, deputy manager at Saab Kockums.
The Arrowhead concept also places emphasis on growth potential, with Babcock describing the ship as configurable for future requirements, including the integration of new weapon loads and mission systems as threats evolve. The Swedish frigate programme is expected to deliver four new vessels. Other known contenders include France’s Naval Group and Spain’s Navantia.
The Saab-Babcock partnership builds on a wider UK-Swedish industrial relationship, with senior representatives from the Swedish Navy, UK Royal Navy, FMV, Saab and Babcock having met previously at Rosyth in Scotland as part of ongoing cooperation discussions. If successful, the programme would represent one of Sweden’s most significant naval procurement efforts in decades.
George you’ve got the wrong picture, that’s the Arrowhead 120 from the T31 competition and it’s been changed significantly for the Swedish competition.
The pictures are in Babcock’s Media Library:
wwwbabcockinternationalcom/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Babcock-AH120_Sweden_Herob-2048×2048.jpg
I think Babcock have a few designs being offered around at this time, I’ll guess this Is a Library Pic ?
Good spot though, you should ask for a job here.
I’m thinking about applying for Moderator 😁😱
What ? 🤔
He’s changed the picture now, it was one of the pics from 2017 before and now it has all of the Swedish national kit.
I’d get a job here on condition I get let into all of the trade fairs.
Yes, It happens here at times I’ve noticed.
Trade fairs are brilliant, especially all the hospitality !
Babcock is such a smart company. My only concern in them getting this is it removes any ability we have to increase our own fleet size.
If this contract wins I hope build slots are not taken from the Royal Navy builds.
I standby for flak incoming from certain individuals on the T 26 build slots for the Norwegians.
If we want to be serious about our own defence we need a strong export capacity – in other words, we need to invest more in production facilities. China doesn’t think ‘If we make this we can’t make that’ – they do both. Military shipping is a good way to help bring more manufacturing back to the UK…
China is in debt up to its eyes balls though.
Agreed – AI search ‘As of late 2025/early 2026, the United States holds the highest general government debt-to-GDP ratio among the three, exceeding 120%. The UK follows with a public sector net debt around 101%, while China’s official government debt is reported around 88%–96%, though estimates including local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) suggest higher, rapidly rising levels. Key Comparison Points: United States: Government debt-to-GDP is roughly 120%–124%. Total public debt increased by roughly \(\$2.9\) trillion in 2025.United Kingdom: Government debt-to-GDP is approximately 101%–105%, reflecting a high debt burden relative to economic output.China: Official government debt is around 88%–96% of GDP. However, some estimates suggest total debt, including local government and state-owned enterprises, is much higher, with China’s debt growing faster (13.6% annually) than the U.S. in 2025.Debt Growth Trend: While the U.S. has higher total debt value, China’s debt-to-GDP ratio has shown a steeper upward trend recently,’ – but so do a lot of other people!
Seems to me a poor choice, that only pushes the Swedes closer to the French and the FDI.
This is an experiment, and export success requires the Swedes buying into a gamble at a shipyard with less experience, less government support and no completed frigates.
Would Sweden prefer a SAAB option though ?
Leh has a valid concern – posters push for more T26/31s and yet none are commissioned and at sea.
However! I wish SAAB-Babcock well and hope they add to the 30 by 30 ambition which would be good for manufacturing.
(Ps, can we have some more T26(even if not at sea, yet) ?)
What’s the VLS requirement Withernsea for Luleå class?.
Please don’t give any missiles to Withernsea, that’s the last thing we need around here.
I know that warship design really needs to be Sovereign, but the yards we have are not able to fill the numbers going out of service and we face a large gap.
Should the bullet be bitten and just get some cheap hulls made in a foreign yard to pad the numbers out and fit them out over here? How quickly could a Korean yard knock out a Type 31 ?
The issue at this point is by the time a manufacturer and design is selected and the dock recieves what it needs to start actually building the ships, and then the construction and trials happen the first T-26’s and 31’s will be entering service and closing the gap anyway.
Yes, exactly, they are certainly moving along at a pace !
It’s not so much they’re coming at pace, it’s just too late to put in any stop gap
I agree. This would surely be a great move by uk govt to get the Royal Navy bsck on track. Even with the final build complete of t26 and t31 the Royal Navy is going to be woefully short of frigates abd destroyers especially if we take into account of one third principle at see at any given time. We know Poland and Indonesia are building the Babcock design . Indonesia seems to be building thete t31 rather well. Perhaps scope to judt place an order with these two nations . Or off the shelf for new design maybe 5 or 6 Skorean , Japanese or other design . Even from France and Spain. For our 13 total T26 and T31 ships they will not all be fully operational untill at least 2035 which is 9 years away. I am sure ther will be ship yards around the world able to deliver EN new ships before this date . Once these uk ships are built the uk should if do not mess it up again be able to build at least two frigate/destroyers a year to increase Navy size and replace existing ships . With the T45 being schedules to be retired between 2035 and 2038 , lookong ahead tge Royal Navy will be woefully short for the next 15 years if we rely on uk build only . As a rough guide we will obly have about 6 to 8 ships available to sail evety year with current plans .