"World-leading" British Type 26 frigates being built for Royal Navy procured by Norway in mammoth £10bn deal

Type 26 frigates, variants which are currently being built for the Royal Navy in Scotland, are being procured by the Scandinavian nation. They will be constructed at the BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard in a £10bn package.

Once they are all constructed, the UK and Norway will have a fleet of at least 13 anti-submarine ships - a minimum of five of these being Norwegian. Eight are being produced for Britain. It’s expected they will operate primarily in the North Atlantic, protecting the area and undersea cables from Russian threats.

What does the Type 26 deal mean for the UK?

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “This £10bn deal is what our Plan for Change is about – creating jobs, driving growth and protecting national security for working people. This Government has forged new partnerships across the world to deliver for people at home and the export of our world leading Type 26 frigates to Norway will do exactly that, supporting well-paid jobs up and down the United Kingdom, from apprentices to engineers.

“This success is testament to the thousands of people across the country who are not just delivering this next generation capabilities for our armed forces, but also national security for the UK, our Norwegian partners and Nato for years to come.”

Defence secretary John Healey said the deal “deepens our strategic partnership” with Norway. “For over 75 years, Britain and Norway have stood together on NATO’s northern and north-eastern frontiers, keeping the UK and Europe safe,” he added.

“With Norway, we will train, operate, deter, and – if necessary – fight together. Our navies will work as one, leading the way in NATO, with this deal putting more world-class warships in the North Atlantic to hunt Russian submarines, protect our critical infrastructure, and keep both our nations secure.

“This deal confirms Britain’s defence industry as world-leading. It will support thousands of high-skilled jobs for the next 15 years and beyond.” Type 26 frigates are complete with advanced weapons, complex sensors, and cutting-edge communication systems. Their flexible design allows them to be consistently upgraded to counter emerging threats.

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Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive of BAE Systems, said: “The Norwegian Government’s decision reflects its confidence in British industry’s ability to deliver a superior anti-submarine warfare platform, together with systems and equipment, that will support its future maritime security and reinforce its position within NATO.

“We look forward to playing our part in further strengthening the strategic partnership between the UK and Norway, as we work together with Norwegian industry to deliver this important capability to the Royal Norwegian Navy.”

The Norwegian Ministry of Defence said delivery of the Type-26 frigates will start in 2030. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre said: “Norway and the United Kingdom are close allies, with common interests and strong bilateral ties. I am confident that the strategic partnership with the UK for purchasing, developing and operating frigates is the right decision.

“This partnership enables Norway to reach the strategic objectives our Parliament set out in the current Long-Term Plan on Defence.”