Luleå-class corvette
Swedish corvette class
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Luleå class is a Swedish frigate class under development. In total four ships are planned to be built. The first two ships are to be commissioned by 2030 and two more by 2035. In June 2023 it was announced that the four ships would receive names after Swedish coastal cities: HSwMS Luleå, HSwMS Norrköping, HSwMS Trelleborg, and HSwMS Halmstad.[1][2]
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Luleå class |
| Operators |  Swedish Navy |
| Preceded by | Visby class |
| In commission | 2030 |
| Planned | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Frigate |
| Displacement | 3,000 to 4,500 tonnes |
| Length | >120 m (400 ft) |
Development
In January 2021 Saab Kockums was awarded a contract for the product definition phase of the Visby gen 2 corvettes by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV). These ships were intended to be an evolved version of the Visby-class corvettes currently in service with the Swedish Navy. However, a rapidly changing geopolitical situation in large part due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and Sweden's subsequent application to join NATO led to the cancellation of the Visby gen 2 in favour of a clean sheet design, the Luleå class.[3][4][5]
As the Swedish Navy wants the Luleå class built and commissioned quickly. In 2021 FMV awarded Saab Kockums a contract to study the design of five new corvettes in Sweden. A similar arrangement was also used for the construction of HSwMS Artemis.[5][6] By 2023, however, the program’s requirements were revised to be closer to a frigate: the future ships would need extended endurance at sea, increased size (120 meters versus 72 meters for the Visby), and enhanced multi-domain capabilities, including anti-drone operations. These changes led to a reduction in the planned fleet from five to four vessels. The product definition phase was scheduled to conclude by mid-2025, with deliveries of the first units expected from 2030. In May 2024 Saab signed a contract with British shipbuilder Babcock for the design of the future ship class based on the Type 31 frigate.[7][8] But the collaboration has reportedly yielded limited results, opening the door for alternative solutions. On June 2025 France and Sweden sign defence roadmap as Naval Group positions FDI frigate for Swedish surface ship programme.[9][10][11]
On 24 November 24 2025, Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson announced that Sweden would choose a supplier for the four Luleå-class frigates in early 2026[12]. Four firms are in competition for the program : Saab, Naval Group, Babcock and Navantia (with the last three of them offering an already existing design adapted for Swedish requirements). In early 2026 both Spain and France sent warships to Sweden showing off their concepts for the future Luleå class.[13][14] On February 10 2026 Naval group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Swedish shipyard Oresund Drydocks AB for future maintenance and service support for Swedish naval vessels.[15]
Design
The Luleå class will be the largest ships in service with the Swedish Navy at over 120 metres (390 ft) long. Increased range and endurance will be important factors. The ships will primarily be armed with surface-to-air missiles.[5]
Offers
- Babcock was previously believed to be offering Type 31 class frigate to the Swedish Navy, but is now known to be collaborating with Saab on a smaller ship known as the Arrowhead 120.[16][17]
- Naval Group is offering the Defence and intervention class frigate.[18]
- Navantia is offering the Alfa 4000 class frigate.[19]
Sweden will select the ship class in early 2026.[20]