Sweden Contracts Four French FDI Frigates for €4.3 Billion

Sweden and France signed a contract on August 31 to deliver four advanced air-defense frigates to the Swedish Navy.

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) reported this on its official website.

The agreement was signed in Stockholm in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

The contract for the four frigates is valued at approximately €4.3 billion.

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration signed the contract with French company Naval Group.

Idag skrev Frankrike och Sverige kontrakt på fyra nya luftförsvarsfregatter. Arbetet med att förbereda marinen inför framtiden är redan igång. Exempelvis följer en grupp svenska officerare med Amiral Ronarc’h på resan tillbaka till Frankrike för att stifta bekantskaper fartyget. pic.twitter.com/MzFZCzzhiC

— Marinen (@Swedish_Navy) August 31, 2026

The new ships will be named Luleå and will be based on the French FDI (Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention) frigates.

All four ships will be built in France, with the first frigate scheduled for delivery to Sweden in 2030. The remaining three ships will enter service later.

The Swedish version of the frigates will carry several locally produced systems, including Saab Lightweight Torpedoes (SLWT), the RBS 15 anti-ship missile system, the Giraffe 1X radar, the Trackfire Remote Weapon Station, and 57 mm and 40 mm BAE Systems Bofors naval guns.

At the same time, Sweden has already begun training personnel to operate the new ships.

According to the Swedish Navy, a group of officers traveled aboard the French Amiral Ronarc’h to France to familiarize themselves with the ship of this class and begin preparing to operate the future frigates.

The first ship of the new class will be HMS Luleå, which is scheduled for delivery to Sweden in 2030. The fleet is then expected to receive HMS Norrköping in 2032, HMS Trelleborg in 2033, and HMS Halmstad in 2034.

Militarnyi previously reported that France was ready to allow Sweden to purchase MdCN sea-launched cruise missiles. The missiles are expected to become part of the armament of the four frigates that France’s Naval Group will build for the Swedish Navy.

Luleå (FDI) Program

Initially, Sweden considered a frigate based on an enlarged version of the Visby-class corvettes, with more powerful armament and more advanced sensors.

On May 19, 2026, the Swedish government instructed the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) to begin negotiations with French company Naval Group to procure four frigates.

The choice of the French platform was largely a political decision rather than the result of an extensive comparison of all possible contenders. This was linked to a bilateral agreement between Sweden and France under which the two countries agreed to expand mutual defense procurement.

This cooperation also opened the way for Sweden to supply France with its own defense technologies and weapons, including anti-tank guided missiles, radars, landing craft, and airborne early warning and control aircraft.

In turn, as part of its military-technical cooperation with France, Sweden receives new combat capabilities, including French-made frigates as well as other weapons systems and military equipment.