Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik, and Chief of Defence General Eirik Kristoffersen communicate to the media on the standing of the acquisition of British-made frigates, on the prime minister’s workplace in Oslo, Norway, on Aug. 31, 2025.
Rodrigo Freitas | Via Reuters
Norway mentioned on Sunday it had chosen Britain as its strategic companion for the acquisition of recent frigates in its biggest-ever navy funding, in a deal value some 10 billion kilos ($13.51 billion) to spice up the Nordic nation’s maritime protection.
Germany, France, Britain and the United States had provided rival frigate designs in competitors.
“The frigates are an essential part of our defense because they are key to defend our sovereignty,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere advised a press convention.
Norway is NATO’s monitor for the huge 2 million sq. kilometres (772,000 sq. miles) space of the North Atlantic utilized by the Russian northern fleet’s nuclear submarines.
A key mission for the frigates can be to watch Russian submarines, whose base is on the Kola Peninsula, an space within the Arctic bordering Norway.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the deal, which he mentioned was value 10 billion kilos.
The deal will ultimately see a mixed fleet of 13 anti-submarine warfare frigates – eight British and at the least 5 Norwegian – function collectively in northern Europe, he added.
British officers, searching for economies of scale for their very own navy and to spice up Scotland’s shipyard business, had closely promoted the BAE Systems’ frigates, generally known as the T-26 City-class.
The deal would assist 4,000 jobs throughout the United Kingdom, together with greater than 2,000 in Scotland, the British authorities mentioned.
Norway shares a border with Russia and is ramping up protection spending in gentle of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that NATO allies should bolster their very own navy energy.
The draft settlement with Britain additionally ensures industrial cooperation with Norwegian business equal to the whole worth of the acquisition, the Norwegian authorities mentioned.
Norway, a nation of 5.6 million individuals, presently operates 4 frigates. It beforehand mentioned it might order 5 frigates, with an choice for an extra one.
“This will be the biggest purchase to date. And we are now entering final contract negotiations,” Gahr Stoere mentioned.