European security policy

Giant deal complete – Norway buys British frigates

The Norwegian Defence Force is buying frigates from the UK for 125 billion Norwegian kroner as part of its military buildup, Norwegian media reports. At a press conference, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre calls the deal the largest defence purchase in modern times.

– We live in troubled times, the world is more dangerous, there is war in Europe, says Støre.

The deal involves five or six copies of the Type 26 frigate, which is manufactured by BAE Systems and is already in use by the UK, Australia and Canada, reports NRK. The frigate is specially developed for anti-submarine warfare.

The ships could begin to be delivered in 2030.
Norwegian left criticizes choice – linked to Israel

Immediately after the announcement that Norway would choose British BAE Systems as the supplier of the navy's new frigates, criticism came from the left-wing party Rødt, reports NRK. This is because BAE Systems uses subcontractors that also have connections to the Israeli military.

Rødt's member of parliament Bjørnar Moxnes says that the party supports Norway buying frigates to ensure security.

- But it is out of the question for Rødt to support this choice, unless the government requires that the British frigates stay far away from Israeli component suppliers, he says.

Norway chose between the British T26 frigates or buying from the US, Germany or France. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre explained that the choice fell on the British ships by saying that Britain is Norway's most important strategic partner.

Rødt is one of Støre's intended support parties in the event of an election victory in a week.

Expert doubtful: "French and German alternatives better"

Naval captain Tor Ivar Strømmen questions Norway's decision to invest in the British BAE Systems frigate Type 26. He tells NRK that the German or French options that were also on the table would have been significantly better choices in terms of performance.

He is particularly critical of the fact that the British frigate is very specialized in one task, namely submarine hunting.

- It has, quite simply, an old-fashioned and rather limited air defense, says Strømmen.

- We have not chosen a frigate based on which one gives us the best ability to solve the variety of tasks our frigates will solve, he continues.