The deal is Norway’s largest defence investment and the UK’s largest warship export deal to date. 

Norway has opted for the UK-made Type 26 frigate – also known as the Global Combat Ship – following a 10-month competition which also considered proposals from France, Germany, and the US.  

The move represents the UK’s “biggest ever warship export deal by value” – totalling GBP10 billion – the UK Government announced on 31 August.  

It sees the Nordic country follow both Australia and Canada in acquiring the frigate, which is designed for modern anti-submarine warfare.  

However, unlike those purchases, which use the Type 26 as a baseline design, the Norwegian vessels will be “as identical as possible and have the same technical specifications” as the UK Type 26 frigates, otherwise known as the City-class version, the Norwegian Government statement says. 

At least five vessels will be acquired, replacing Norway’s Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates. Delivery of the first Type 26 ship is expected in 2030. 

The frigates will also feature helicopters designed to support anti-submarine warfare, although, a decision on what type of platform is yet to be decided, the Norwegian Government added.  

Whilst the majority of work will be completed at BAE Systems’ Glasgow shipyard, the UK Government stated that “432 businesses, including 222 small and medium enterprises” from across the UK will be involved in the work. 

UK Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey, said that the deal would result in “more world-class warships in the North Atlantic to hunt Russian submarines, protect our critical infrastructure, and keep both our nations secure”. 

It comes ahead of the signing of a wider strategic partnership between the two countries, both of which have significant stakes in regional maritime security.  

“We [both] have strong shared interests in the North Atlantic”, and “with a joint frigate program, we will be able to operate seamlessly and integrated in our joint areas of interest”, Norway’s Defence Minister, Tore Sandvik, said. 

About the Global Combat Ship 

All the vessels under what the UK Government calls the Global Combat Ship programme share a common modular design, with what BAE Systems calls an “acoustically quiet hull”.  

Beyond this, they vary by nation, with Canada’s River-class variant intended to act as a destroyer rather than a frigate. The River-class will also have a greater emphasis on wide-area air defence.  

For Australia, known locally as the Hunter-class frigate programme, the vessels have their own specific modifications. These include the Australian-made CEA Technologies’ phased-array radar, for example. However, Australia reduced its order from nine to six ships in February last year, due to a shift in strategic priorities.  

Both the Australian and Canadian models utilise the US-based ‘AEGIS’ combat management system, whilst the UK’s frigates are equipped with the BAE Systems INTeACT capability. Norway will likely outfit its vessels with INTeACT, given that it is adopting very similar systems to the UK