Sweden’s four-ship FDI acquisition has entered the construction phase, with Naval Group starting work on the first Swedish frigate at its Lorient facility. The steel-cutting event comes shortly after Stockholm finalized its 47-billion-kronor ($4.6-billion) procurement contract for the vessels, which are intended to improve Swedish naval and aerial support capabilities in the Baltic Sea.The first ship will carry the name HMS Luleå and is expected to be delivered in 2030. Its sister frigates, Norrköping, Trelleborg and Halmstad, are scheduled to follow from 2032 through 2034.With Sweden joining the program, the FDI design has now been selected by three NATO members—France, Greece and Sweden—and the total number of FDI surface combatants in production or ordered rises to 13. Naval Group’s production line is configured to deliver two frigates each year. Once Sweden’s ships enter service, the company intends to maintain a long-term industrial support relationship involving Swedish suppliers.The FDI combines capabilities for air defense, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare. Its architecture includes Naval Group’s inverted bow and Setis battle management system, while Sweden will add national weapons and equipment. These include Saab lightweight torpedoes, RBS15 anti-ship missiles and BAE Systems Bofors guns, together with Aster 30 and CAMM-ER surface-to-air missiles.Each ship will be 122 meters long and 18 meters wide and will operate with more than 125 sailors. Aviation facilities will support an NH90-like helicopter and an unmanned aircraft for autonomous missions. Propulsion will come from two MTU 16V 8000 M91L engines delivering 43,000 horsepower combined, giving the frigate a 26-knot top speed, 5,000-nautical-mile operational coverage and 45-day endurance.
