Frigates for CB90: France Plans to Buy Swedish Weapons

France may expand defense cooperation with Sweden through new purchases of Swedish weapons following Stockholm’s decision to buy French frigates.

This was reported by French La Lettre, which described agreements surrounding the contract for the supply of French warships to the Swedish Navy.

The deal concerns Sweden’s decision to purchase four FDI-class multirole frigates built by Naval Group to strengthen its naval capabilities.

As part of an industrial compensation arrangement, Paris may consider purchasing Swedish CB90 high-speed combat boats produced by Saab, according to the La Lettre.

Potential agreements could also include NLAW anti-tank systems jointly developed by Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The agreement could therefore expand beyond a shipbuilding contract into a broader defense-industrial partnership between Paris and Stockholm.

Militarnyi previously reported that Sweden had selected French frigates as a faster way to modernize its fleet amid growing security risks in the Baltic region.

Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the new ships should significantly strengthen the country’s defense capabilities against the Russian threat.

For Saab, a potential contract with France would mark an additional success, as the company would benefit despite Sweden’s rejection of alternative solutions in the field of large surface combatants.

Such arrangements reflect a broader trend toward reciprocal defense procurement in Europe, where major contracts are increasingly accompanied by industrial offset agreements.

Earlier, Sweden considered purchasing French frigates as an alternative to the domestic Luleå project.