Norway Seeks Partners For Future Submarine Project

Norway is seeking partners for future submarine project with other nations in order to reduce cost and secure a robust submarine capability for the future.

The current Norwegian Ula-class submarines will gradually reach their end-of-life in the 2020s. The Ministry of Defence is currently leading the work looking at procurement of new submarines. The project is in its definition phase. This phase will be completed in the first half of 2016, when the external quality review is completed, Norwegian MoD said in a statement Monday.

The MoD has not chosen a supplier for new submarines, and is at present in dialogue with several different shipyards. It is therefore important to inform all parties as equally as possible.

The MoD and the project are in active discussions with several different nations with regards to potential submarine cooperation, with the aim of achieving the Norwegian ambition for cooperation.

Norway and Germany have already a longstanding and successful submarine cooperation. Germany is therefore a nation which it is natural for Norway to discuss a potential future submarine cooperation.

In addition to operational and purely defence related matters, industry will play an important part in a future submarine cooperation.