Norway selects British-made frigates to beef up maritime defense in $13.5 billion deal

 

OsloReuters — 

Norway said on Sunday it had chosen Britain as its strategic partner for the acquisition of new frigates in its biggest ever military investment, in a deal worth some 10 billion pounds ($13.51 billion) to boost the Nordic country’s maritime defense.

 

Germany, France, Britain and the United States had offered rival frigate designs in competition. “The frigates are an essential part of our defense because they are key to defend our sovereignty,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a press conference.

 

Norway is NATO’s monitor for the vast 2 million square kilometers (772,000 square miles) area of the North Atlantic used by the Russian northern fleet’s nuclear submarines.

 

A key mission for the frigates will be to monitor Russian submarines, whose base is on the Kola Peninsula, an area in the Arctic bordering Norway.

 

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https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/31/europe/norway-british-frigates-deal-latam-intl

Big mistake. UK naval yards are unreliable. Look at how the UK screwed Canada with the sale of the multi defective Victoria class submarines. The Royal Navy's aircraft carriers still have unresolved  construction issues.

The US proposal was preferred, but with the uncertainty about the US commitment, also in the long run, it was deemed not a viable option anymore.