Norway Frigate Deal Focuses on Russian Subs, Defense Chief Says

By Francine Lacqua and Ott Ummelas

Sep 3, 2025 (Bloomberg) –Norway decided to pick the UK as the supplier of its new navy frigates as the Nordic NATO member seeks to deter Russian submarines in the High North, according to the country’s defense minister.

“When we’re buying new frigates, it’s for hunting submarines,” Tore O. Sandvik told Bloomberg Television in an interview on Wednesday. “That’s the main capacity of the new frigates: to deter Russia from going into the Northern Sea and the Atlantic with their submarines.”

The £10 billion ($13.5 billion) deal was announced on Sunday. The British Type 26 frigates are warships specifically designed to detect, track and combat submarines, according to Norway’s government. The Norwegian and British vessels will be as identical as possible, to operate more efficiently and reduce costs, as well as potentially using crews interchangeably, it said.

The Nordic nation had also considered France, Germany and the US as suppliers for the frigates.

Sandvik said he expects no negative reactions from the Trump administration over what was a “difficult decision.” Norway “will still be a very close ally to the US in the North” as it monitors Russia’s nuclear-armed Northern Fleet near the Norwegian border, he said.

Read More: Norway’s Interests Align With US in Arctic, Defense Chief Says

The deal for at least five frigates would support 4,000 jobs in the UK, more than half of them at BAE Systems Plc’s Glasgow shipyards, authorities there said. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2030.

© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

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