Sweden – My Blog

Swedish Navy Gotland Class submarines relaunched after mid-life upgrades by SAAB

According to official press release from SAAB; Swedish Navy Gotland Class Submarine has been relaunched and is ready to start her sea trials after a comprehensive mid-life upgrade (MLU).

Due to this MLU, the Gotland submarine has capabilities that will be found in the next generation of Swedish submarines, the A26.

The Gotland was designed and built by Kockums in Malmö in the early 1990’s and commissioned in 1996. The mid-life modification consists of upgrades of onboard systems and technology, sustaining the submarine’s operability, and ensuring service to Sweden beyond 2025.

This updated version of the Gotland will pave the way for the most modern AIP submarine under production today: the A26 for the Royal Swedish Navy. More than 20 systems on-board the new Gotland-class will be implemented in the A26. The MLU of Gotland therefore contributes to the test and qualification of some of the innovative solutions to be implemented in the future Swedish A26 submarine class.

The relaunch ceremony of the Gotland took place in Karlskrona on June 20.

Swedish Navy SIGINT ship steel cut in Poland

Saab announced on 1 March that The Polish Nauta Shipyard has cut the first steel for the Swedish Navy’s SIGINT (Signal Intelligence) ship and started the production phase officially.

Saab, the Swedish defence group, awarded the ship construction contract to the Nauta Shipyard, a part of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), in 2017. This important milestone is fully in line with the project schedule for the special purpose ship, which is to be built in Poland and fitted out in Sweden for delivery to the Swedish Navy.

“The steel cutting ceremony marks the successful completion of the ship design stage and the beginning of production work. This contract for a special purpose ship, a key asset in any Naval portfolio, is very important from the point of view of the end user, the Swedish Navy and requires special handling from the shipyard doing the work. We remain in daily contact with Nauta and we are pleased the work is progressing according to plan,” says Jyrki Kujansuu, Vice President, Poland and Baltic States at Saab.

The new vessel is set to replace the 33-year old HMS Orion which the Swedish Navy currently uses for SIGINT purposes.

You can read SAAB official press release here

SAAB to equip Trackfire RWS for Swedish Combat Boat 90

Saab has received an additional order from the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) regarding Trackfire Remote Weapon Station (RWS) for the Royal Swedish Navy. Trackfire RWS will be installed on the new Combat Boat 90 (Strb90 HSM) used by the navy’s amphibian forces.

The new Combat Boat 90 will be operated by the Swedish navy’s amphibian forces.

The order is in addition to a Trackfire RWS order received by Saab from the FMV in August 2017.

The family of Trackfire Remote Weapon Stations (RWS) builds on over 40 years of developing electro-optic fire control platforms for both the Land and Naval environments. Thus, Trackfire has designed for use on all types of military platforms including vehicles, vessels and static emplacements.

You can read SAAB original press release here