Duncan Looi
NAVAL Group cut steel for the Royal Swedish Navy’s first defence and intervention frigate (FDI) Lulea in Lorient, just a month after the contract between Sweden and France for four FDIs were signed and less than four months since Sweden announced its selection of the FDI. The first delivery is scheduled for 2030.
The steel-cutting ceremony was led by FMV (Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) Head of Naval Systems Rear Admiral Fredrik Linden and Sweden’s Ambassador to France Caroline Vicini.
“I would like to thank the Swedish authorities for their trust. It is a great honour to put our expertise at the service of Sweden’s sovereignty and naval superiority. Today, we are proud to begin FDI Lulea’s industrial journey in Lorient. All Naval Group sites and teams are fully involved in the success of the programme, in close cooperation with the FMV both in France and in Sweden,” said Naval Group’s Executive VP for Surface Ships Vincent Martinot-Lagarde
“Naval Group is fully committed to strengthening its cooperation with Swedish industry through a structured, and long-term industrial partnership,” a company release read. The FDI production line is fully operational and capable of delivering in high production rates, to rapidly strengthen and modernise fleet capabilities, in a particular challenging operational context.
To achieve and maintain this high level of production, Naval Group has been investing for years in its shipyards and calls upon different solutions to further accelerate and increase production capacities, from local construction to partnerships developed with other European shipyards.
A state-of-the-art frigate, the FDI is combat-ready and boasts proven capabilities across all areas of warfare, notably with powerful anti-air capabilities based on the ASTER system. The FDI is capable of countering current and emerging threats in the demanding waters of the High North and in challenging environments such as the Baltic Sea or the North Atlantic.
With its signature inverted bow, the FDI has proven in high sea states its superior stability, and mission performance during the maiden journey of the first FDI for France. This combat-ready vessel has already demonstrated its capabilities for long-endurance and high-intensity operations, under the most demanding conditions all around the globe, in all warfare domain, notably anti-submarine and anti-air capabilities. A total of 13 FDI have been ordered so far, to serve three different NATO navies. The production line remains fully operational with available new delivery slots in 2030.–-shp/adj/dl (Pix:NAVAL GROUP)
