The UK Government and BAE Systems have secured more work for Glasgow’s shipyards after Norway confirmed it will buy the Type 26 frigate, with the Clyde set to play a central role in the programme.
Deliveries to the Royal Norwegian Navy are expected to begin in 2030, tying the future of Scottish shipbuilding more closely into NATO’s northern defence.
The Clyde is already busy turning out the Royal Navy’s eight Type 26s, with the first three ordered in 2017 and a further five added in a £4.2 billion deal signed in 2022. That contract underpins about 1,700 jobs directly at the Govan and Scotstoun yards, with another 2,300 spread through the wider UK supply chain. BAE has also poured more than £300 million into upgrading the facilities to keep the line moving for the next decade.
“It is good news for the Clyde. Securing this work gives us confidence for the future and keeps skilled jobs here in Glasgow,” one yard worker told UK Defence Journal.
Norway is expected to order at least five frigates, enough to replace its four surviving Fridtjof Nansen-class ships and rebuild the numbers lost after the sinking of HNoMS Helge Ingstad in 2018. If confirmed, the deal would make the Clyde the construction hub for more than twenty Type 26s worldwide, counting ships already committed for Britain, Australia and Canada.
The impact reaches beyond BAE. Ferguson Marine, further downriver at Port Glasgow, has already won work on the programme, fabricating structural modules for the fourth Royal Navy ship, HMS Birmingham. For a yard that has struggled in recent years, these contracts provide a lifeline and show how the Type 26 supply chain is spreading benefits across Scotland.
Economically, the numbers are significant. Defence spending on frigates alone is estimated to support more than 12,000 jobs in Scotland when supply chains are factored in. Every major contract brings a multiplier effect across the region, from steel cutting to advanced electronics, reinforcing the Clyde’s place as one of the UK’s most important industrial clusters.
The Norwegian decision also has a strategic dimension. By joining the Type 26 community alongside the UK, Canada and Australia, Oslo ties itself into a long-term multinational programme with shared training, maintenance and upgrades. For the Clyde, it means the yard is now building ships not just for the Royal Navy, but for NATO allies facing the same threats in the North Atlantic and High North.
With the order book stretching well into the 2030s, Glasgow’s yards are secured as the heart of Britain’s advanced warship production, a position strengthened rather than threatened by the internationalisation of the programme.
Fabulous news for BAE management [who will have worked hard to get this], the yard workers [who have long term security], RN [whose cost base for T26 has been shrunk back to what it would have been in UK PLC ordered 13], NATO [which now has 13 first class, European based, ASW frigates], UKPLC [our economy benefits from investment from a country who used their oil wealth for the good] and you could go on and on about how good this is.
Very good news all round.
Great news. How come it hasn’t been reported anywhere else?
The news only just broke just before noon today!
It’s in Reuters, all across social media. I wouldn’t be surprised if the BBC did an article.
Can’t see the BBC getting excited about a British Industry success.
UK agrees £10bn deal to supply Norway with warships from the BBC Website
Only cos I said they wouldn’t 🤣
Front page of the website as of 14:52 🤷
The word gets out before the official announcement I presume. But usually these sort of decisions do seep into the mainstream press too so maybe being in the vicinity George has a mole in the yard.
Awesome news for the UK’s shipbuilding industry. Though I am interested in how BAe fulfills both the RN’s and RNN’s requirements simultaneously? Will it mean one of the hulls earmarked for the RN being completed instead for the RNN? Or can BAe build another line concurrently without interrupting the RN’s line?
General Eirik Kristoffersen (Chief of Defence) recommended that Norway replace the current Fridtjof Nansen-class with six ships. However, this was later reduced to five by the Government. Will there be a clause for additional ships, once they’ve nearly completed. As by that point the economy of scale would have reduced their capital costs?
Will be interesting to see if Norway directly follows the RN’s T26 fit out. As the Nansen’s currently use a four fixed panel SPY-1F PESA radar, rather than the Artisan? They also use ESSM as the only surface to air missile. Will they change to CAMM+CAMM-ER/MR? The Nansen has in theory better long range detection, as well as surface to air engagement capability over a standard T26 if using Artisan and CAMM (standard). Though the SPY-1F is a smaller version of the ones used on the Arleigh Burke’s. Its greater surface area “should” generate a longer detection range than Artisan.
The Norwegian press release states:
‘The Norwegian and British vessels will be as identical as possible, and have the same technical specifications.’
The BAE design retains the CAMM from what has been seen at trade shows, et cetera. The spokesperson in the video describes the British proposal as having essentially no differences with the current British ships, outside from the NSM. We know the Artisan can track complex targets such as short-to-medium range ballistic missiles, so I don’t think it’s the weak link. The basal CAMM might be, but if Norway could be hooked into the CAMM programme, they could receive CAMM-MR in the future as you suggest.
I presume experience of the Australian version would help there if such a fit were required. Be interesting to know mind what difference the SPY-1F has in terms of weight etc as compared to the Australian set up because as we know the Australian T-26 version is a little wider in the beam to handle it. That would be problematical one presumes if alterations of that extensive nature were incorporated into uk production lines not to mention scale savings so seems unlikely. Can’t wait to see the details.
I doubt there’ll be a significant radar or CMS change on the Norwegian side. Part of the requirements (see my above comment) was specifically to ensure that their ships were as close to identical as possible with the ships of the partner nations, so Artisan and CAMM are good bets.
Brilliant news, but this will definitely mean the RN will have delays on its hulls.
In the short term, probably. But for NATO’s northern seas defence policy it will make no difference numbers wise. In the longer term (mid30s) eNATO will have 13+ of the best ASW ships in the world. Plus whatever the USN can spare for the area. France, Italy and Spain can then focus on the Med.
Putin will regret his Ukraine adventure.
I think your logic is correct, if the numbers are the same if they are Norwegian manned or uk manned the capability stays the same with increases in capability longer term. Beyond my pay scale (others here will be better placed to judge) but as modules can be built all over the place and even potentially joined in part in the old shed they can increase the rate by wheeling in substantial multiple joined hull sections to fully join in the new shed as soon as one of those being completed there are floated off. So I reckon there must room for an uptick in production pace. But an initial effect is likely inevitable one presumes.
It will have a major impact on the delivery of the RN Ships,but this was an opportunity too good to miss,and both Navies will operate them in the same areas for the most part so no real loss of capability.
Excellent news, though we still need more ourselves – building capacity really needs to be expanded.
Building Capacity has been addressed.
Really great news. Kudos all round 👏. Puts the pressure on expectation of effective lifex for the remaining TA T23s.🙏
Will this news erk Agent Orange? We all know he wants “allies” to buy from the US as part of his strategy of increasing the US’s manufacturing base. Obviously, the speech from the previous Norwegian PM that an ally who threatened to annexe another ally’s territory is no ally at all, is the government’s current thinking.
like the 10% extra that he is adding to European purchase of US wantons for Ukraine. that wont be forgotten about
should say “Weapons “
Just £10billion. Thees days its just a drop in the ocean. The UK Smartmeter rollout cost us more than that. It will be interesting to see how this deal turns out.