Naval Group starts Sweden’s first FDI frigate one month after contract signing

Naval Group began construction of Sweden’s first FDI frigate on October 1, 2026, only one month after the contract for four ships was signed. The steel-cutting ceremony for the future Luleå took place at the company’s Lorient shipyard in France, where the Greek Navy’s FDI frigates are also being built. The first Swedish delivery is planned for 2030.

Rear Admiral Fredrik Lindén, head of naval systems at Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration, FMV, led the ceremony. Sweden’s ambassador to France, Caroline Vicini, also attended. Vincent Martinot-Lagarde, Naval Group’s executive vice president for surface ships, thanked the Swedish authorities for their trust and said the company’s teams and facilities were working with FMV in both countries.

The steel-cutting announcement marks the formal production start for Luleå. The contract was signed in Stockholm on August 31 in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Sweden had selected the French proposal in May.

Four ships and Swedish systems

The four-frigate agreement is worth approximately 47 billion Swedish kronor, according to FMV’s contract announcement. It includes training systems, spare parts and associated equipment. The planned delivery sequence is Luleå in 2030, Norrköping in 2032, Trelleborg in 2033 and Halmstad in 2034.

FMV says the frigates will carry Aster 30 and CAMM-ER air-defence missiles and integrate Swedish equipment including RBS15 anti-ship missiles, Torped 47, Giraffe 1X radar, 57 mm and 40 mm guns, and Trackfire. Air defence and anti-submarine warfare are central requirements. Naval Group is the principal systems integrator and says it is pursuing long-term cooperation with Swedish industry.

Greek connection in the Lorient production line

The Swedish order raises the number of contracted FDI frigates to 13 for three NATO navies: five for France, four for Greece and four for Sweden. Naval Group says its production line can deliver two FDI frigates each year and that delivery positions remain available for 2030. The company points to investment at its shipyards and potential partnerships with other European yards to sustain that output.

For the Hellenic Navy, Sweden’s selection brings another operator into the same frigate family. Greek shipyards are also taking part in construction of the Greek vessels: a section of the future Themistocles built at Salamis Shipyards reached Lorient in June. The start of work on Luleå therefore adds a Swedish programme to the French and Greek FDI projects already using the French yard.