Sweden is taking significant steps toward domestic sustainment of its future frigate fleet after Naval Group entered into a partnership with Oresund Drydocks AB to create a national maintenance and support capability. The agreement lays the groundwork for establishing a Swedish-based facility dedicated to servicing the Defense and Intervention Frigate (FDI) program, with the first vessel potentially entering Swedish service around 2030. The cooperation centers on long-term through-life support, ensuring that maintenance, upgrades, and technical services can be conducted within Sweden. By embedding industrial know-how locally, the initiative aims to enhance operational readiness while reducing reliance on foreign infrastructure. Knowledge transfer and skills development form a core pillar of the agreement, strengthening Sweden’s maritime industrial base and reinforcing defense autonomy. Guillaume Weisrock, Naval Group’s Vice President for Sales and Business Development for Europe and North America, underscored that the partnership is designed to foster innovation, create specialized employment opportunities, and safeguard Sweden’s strategic control over its FDI fleet. The transfer of advanced ship support technologies and expertise is expected to bolster both industrial resilience and naval capability. The Swedish agreement reflects Naval Group’s wider localization strategy. In 2025, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Westcon Naval Shipyard to cultivate a Norwegian frigate sustainment ecosystem. In late 2024, cooperation expanded in Greece, including collaboration with the University of Patras to support research and future maintenance planning. Outside Europe, Naval Group Arabia, headquartered in Riyadh, continues advancing technology transfer and sustainment programs aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.
