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
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…
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.
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) ?)