Sweden Considers French Defense Frigates to Strengthen Naval Power in Baltic Sea.

[Micael]

The Arrowhead 120 does look less impressive. Apart from being essentially a budget design as noted, I get the impression that the space and weight has gone more towards extended ocean cruising rather than towards weapons systems. The balance between the two on the FDI seems to be more in line with Swedish requirements. Moreover it looks rather difficult to cram much more into the Arrowhead 120 the way it is designed. Apart from the design not being in production there’s also been rumblings about Type 31 delays recently, and a general concern over Babcock’s ability to deliver on time. Naval Group seems to so far be able to churn out FDIs right on schedule which makes it a less risky choice in that regard.

Naval News also did a quick interview with the admiral at the defense material administration who is in charge of making the recommendation to cabinet on which offer to select, and when the interviewer asked specifically about the FDI the admiral seemed to perk up ever so slightly and called it an impressive ship. I thus get the feeling that it is the FDI that has been recommended. That being said things can happen at the political level, but if the Saab/Babcock design gets selected I would suspect that it is other factors than which is the best suited design/supplier that have come into play.

[Edit] Something I forgot earlier: In the interview with the Naval Group representative and referring to the CAMM-ER inclusion he mentioned that you could have 24 CAMM-ER along the Aster-30, or another mix as dictated by the customer. That’s a bit interesting as the assumption so far was that one of the two 16 cell Aster-30 VLS packs would get swapped out for 64 CAMM-ER. But the way he mentioned just 24 cells made me think that perhaps Naval Group has found enough space to cram in those 24 alongside the full 32 cells for Aster-30. That could be an interesting option if so.

[Zen9]

NG is talking of triple packing CAMM-ER into Sylver silos.

If true it could be a game changer.

[Micael]

Here’s an article by Navy Lookout which describes the Babcock/Saab bid a bit, and also seems to view it as having a decent chance to win. Note that I believe they made a slight mistake in writing 6 billion kronor when it should be about 60 billion.

Babcock pitches Arrowhead-120 variant for the Swedish Luleå-class frigate programme
The Luleå class frigate programme marks a decisive shift by the Swedish Navy to a larger, long-range surface combatant optimised for NATO operations in Northern Europe. Here, we consider Babcock and Saab’s joint proposal to meet the Swedish requirement.
From stealth corvette to frigate
The Luleå class began life as a follow-on to the unique Visby-class corvettes, often described in early reporting as ‘Visby Generation 2’. Since becoming a NATO member, Swedish requirements have evolved sharply. Rather than a modest increment on a stealth corvette, Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration, FMV, made clear that the future surface combatant needed to be substantially larger, with greater endurance and the ability to operate far beyond the Baltic Sea. The new ships are no longer being sized purely for archipelagic defence and coastal warfare but are intended to support persistent NATO tasks in the Baltic approaches, the High North and wider Northern European waters. Air defence capability, endurance, habitability and sustained operations are a key part of the specification.
With four ships planned, the programme, with a value estimated at up to 6bn Krona (c£4.4bn), represents the most significant warship project for Sweden in a generation. Babcock and Saab are in competition with bids from the French, with Naval Group offering their FDI frigate and the Spanish, with Navantia offering their Alpha-400 light frigate. The industrial partner will be selected in the first quarter of 2026, with the first two ships targeted for delivery in 2030. The four confirmed ship names are HMSwS Luleå, Norrköping, Trelleborg and Halmstad.


Key features of the new AH-120 include the Bofors 57mm Mk3 gun, Saab integrated mast including Giraffe Radar, ESM and communications aerials, 8 x RBS15 Anti-ship missiles, space allocated for a VLS silo and flight deck, probably for MH-60R Seahawk Helicopter (Sweden is abandoning the unreliable NH90) (Image: Babcock).
Arrowhead-120 re-emerges
The Arrowhead-120 design has been developed through a close collaboration between Babcock and Saab. The Arrowhead-120 has its roots in early work undertaken by Babcock during the formative stages of what later became the UK’s Type 31 frigate programme. That earlier concept was set aside in favour of the larger Arrowhead-140, but the Swedish requirement has provided a natural context for revisiting and updating the slightly smaller but still high-end design.
Although it was assumed Babcock would offer the Type 31/AH-140 option, there was always recognition that it was likely to be rejected as too large. Instead, the Arrowhead-120 solution is a concept tailored specifically for Swedish needs. Babcock has described the design as well beyond the conceptual stage, not just a paper design but significant initial design work has been completed and early attention given to long-lead items that would need to be ordered to maintain the schedule.
While a fully detailed, production-ready design would only be finalised following contract award, the level of maturity is notable for an export bid. The emphasis has been on de-risking the schedule, understanding industrial sequencing and ensuring that the design genuinely meets Sweden’s specific and in some areas unique requirements.
The result is a high-end frigate design characterised by a predominantly Swedish combat system, weapons and sensor configuration while drawing on British ship design and build experience.
Babock said: “Together, we have co‑developed a platform design that integrates a highly advanced and capable combat management suite, unmatched by any vessel of this size. Saab is leading the combat system elements and brings its recent design and integration experience from international projects, including Singapore’s Multi-Role Combat Vessel and Poland’s SIGINT ship. It is also supplying the fully equipped composite superstructures, as well as anti‑ship missiles and lightweight torpedoes. Babcock is providing design, build and integration expertise derived from the successful Arrowhead 140 frigate programmes being built for the UK, Poland, and Indonesia”.

Measuring 124 meters in length, built with a steel hull and lightweight composite superstructure, the 4,650‑ton vessel combines high long endurance and survivability with exceptional manoeuvrability. The AH120 is equipped to counter sophisticated air threats, including ballistic missiles, and delivers strong defensive capability against complex manned or unmanned surface and underwater threats (Image: Saab).

Split build strategy
Central to the Arrowhead-120 offer is the depth of collaboration between Babcock and Saab. The relationship between the two companies was formalised in a joint venture signed in 2024, and the Luleå proposal is framed explicitly as a joint endeavour rather than a prime contractor with a subordinate national partner. Saab has integrated combat systems for more than 20 navies worldwide, and as an equal partner, maximising industrial participation and sovereign control carries significant political weight and may provide a competitive edge.
If the consortium was successful, the ship hulls would be built by Babcock at Rosyth in Scotland, utilising the new facilities developed for Type 31, also potentially justifying investment in a new ship hall at the yard. Much of the superstructure, however, would be built in Karlskrona using composite construction techniques aligned with Swedish naval practice. That composite superstructure would then be transported to the UK for integration with the hull. Once structurally complete, the fully assembled ship would sail to Sweden for final combat system outfitting, integration and acceptance.
Swedish industry retains a major role in superstructure construction and combat system integration, while the UK undertakes the core hull build and integration work. It also reflects practical considerations around facilities, workforce skills and programme tempo.

The Navantia Alfa 4000 light frigate proposal. Not dissimilar to the AH-120 concept and probably at about the same level of design maturity (Image: Navantia).

FS Amiral Ronarc’h arrived in Gothenburg for a sales visit on 6th Feb 2026. The FDI has the advantage of being a mature design already at sea and in production; however, it is essentially an all-French package with limited options for Swedish content and lacking interoperability with existing Saab mission systems (Image: French ambassador to Sweden).
British support to Ukraine, including cooperation around the Gripen fighter programme, has deepened defence ties with Sweden. The growing importance of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) framework, increasingly discussed in terms of a strengthened or ‘super JEF’, places particular emphasis on close UK-Nordic cooperation in the Baltic and High North. Although NATO allies, neither France nor Spain are part of the JEF construct and do not share the RN’s long history of operations in the Baltic.

The UK recently played a critical supporting role in helping secure the Saab Gripen export to Colombia, and in Poland, selecting the Swedish A26 submarine. Sweden and Poland are strengthening military ties, and A26 will provide an interoperable underwater fleet on either side of the Baltic. Arrowhead derivatives offer the opportunity to develop an interoperable surface fleet between the UK, Sweden, Poland and potentially Denmark.


Mock-up demonstrating the scale of the upgrade. Arrowhead 120 Luleå-class frigate in company with one of the Visby-class corvettes they could eventually replace (Image: Saab).
Export shipbuilding is inherently difficult. National preferences, political considerations, industrial offsets and risk appetite all play a role. The move from Visby to a frigate-sized platform is itself a complex transition for the Swedish Navy, and the selected design will need to reassure decision-makers that schedule, cost and performance risks are manageable.

[Zen9]

Ok this is getting interesting.

UK efforts seem to focus on industrial integration between UK and naval partner states.
Something that seems to be happening with the Norwegian Type 26.

In other words a much deeper relationship than just the ship.

And is that a quid-pro-quo that happened over A26 to Poland?

Now from a UK perspective, the Nordic states effectively be part of the UK 'backyard'....as be all North Sea States.
So it really rather matters a lot to UK strategic interests to have them secured from other hostile powers.
JEF was part of that obviously.

Will we swing it with Sweden?

There is an Oceanic A26 variant design......
All sorts of things might yet emerge from this contest.

France is obviously offering it's own relationship here.

Which means we can expect something similar with Denmark. Though OMT 'seem' to want to do their own thing.

[Micael]

Naval Group and leading Swedish shipyard Oresund Drydocks AB, have signed a MoU for a Partnership Cooperation Agreement, on February 2, 2026, during the stopover of the FDI Amiral Ronarc'h in Sweden.
This partnership aims to develop a local frigate maintenance facility in Sweden.

Navantia signed an agreement with the same shipyard earlier.

[Micael]

Maybe a bit of a twist that we didn’t see coming. As you may have noticed the collaboration between Germany and France on a new fighter isn’t going well and various sources claims that it’s essentially dead in the water. The ”Tom Antonov” account on X, which is a French defense commentator with apparent significant insight in various military matters in France, hints at a new collaboration now saying ”Apparently, Dassault engineers will be fluent in Swedish in a few weeks…” and in reponse to someone querying this replied (in French) ”I would bet on it.”

If there is substance to this it may hint at a much deeper French-Swedish defense partnership in the works than previously reported, and that may affect the choice of frigate as well. In effect strenghtening the case for the FDI on the political level.