Sweden is going to choose a project for its future frigate next year, with the first two to be delivered by 2030. And the French are actively promoting their multipurpose FDI frigates there, while simultaneously looking at purchasing Swedish Saab GlobalEye AWACS aircraft.
This was discussed at a meeting of defense ministers of both countries, noting the desire to strengthen cooperation. Especially from France's side, they expressed a desire to be not just another buyer, but also a full partner.
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Yes, Sweden is looking for a replacement for its Visby-class corvettes, which have a displacement of 640 tons and a length of 72.7 m. And the new ships should be larger with a broader focus on air defense capabilities.
French Naval Group offers its own latest multipurpose FDI (Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention), which has a displacement of 4,460 tons and a length of 122 m. They are equipped with 16 to 32 vertical launch systems that can use Aster 15 and Aster 30 air defense missiles, the latter being used in the SAMP/T air defense system.
The lead ship of the project, Amiral Ronarc'h, was laid down in 2019 and commissioned in October 2025. Four more hulls have been ordered for France and four more for Greece, however there were also failures with a contract for Norway, where they were beaten by the British Type 26.
Sweden is considering not only domestic developments, but also available solutions from foreign suppliers, as it has already missed previous deadlines and currently plans to receive the first two frigates by 2030 and two more by 2032. The French claim they can maintain such a pace.
Competition is expected from British Babcock, Spanish Navantia, and Swedish Saab. And to beat them all, France has an interesting trump card the desire to purchase GlobalEye AWACS aircraft to replace American E-3Fs, with a corresponding letter of intent signed this summer.
Thus, a situation can be proposed where countries buy weapons from each other, thereby strengthening cooperation and partnership. At the same time, potential localization together with cooperation with local industry is proposed. However, details of Swedens requirements are not yet known, so it cannot be said that the French proposal will be able to win.
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