DE&S has played a pivotal role in an export campaign that has resulted in the Norwegian Government selecting the United Kingdom as its strategic partner, for the acquisition of at least five anti-submarine warfare Type 26 frigates, to be built in Glasgow.

This will be the largest warship export deal by value in UK history as part of a £10 billion partnership. This significant deal is Norway’s largest Defence capability investment to date and the Type 26 frigates purchased by the Royal Norwegian Navy will be as similar as possible to those being built for our Royal Navy.

The Norwegian Government’s decision to purchase the ships represents not only a significant opportunity for manufacturer BAE Systems, but also a victory for DE&S Maritime Team’s Combat Ships Delivery Group – of which the UK’s own Type 26 Delivery Team is a part. The Combat Ships Delivery Group coordinated the DE&S aspects of the successful bid under the Navy Command HQ lead.

The Type 26 frigates will be constructed at the BAE Systems shipyards on the river Clyde in Scotland. The deal will see a combined fleet of 13 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates – eight British and at least five Norwegian – to detect, classify, track and defeat hostile submarines – working together to markedly reinforce NATO’s northern flank. This ambitious strategic partnership will also cover shared maintenance, extensive crew training, in-service support, anti-submarine warfare helicopters, future capability developments, personnel exchanges and much broader defence cooperation between the two nations.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the agreement would “drive growth and protect national security for working people”. The major export success delivers substantial economic benefits, sustaining more than 4,000 British jobs across the supply chain well into the 2030s. This includes over 2,000 positions at BAE’s Glasgow-based shipyards and work for more than 400 UK companies.

Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Type 26 Programme, Royal Navy Commodore Steve Roberts, said:

“The DE&S team should be rightly proud of their significant contribution to achieving the Norway deal. They have demonstrated exemplary behaviours and highly professional leadership across the technical, commercial and financial aspects of what was a very demanding competition. I look forward to continuing the work with DE&S colleagues to deliver on this historic strategic partnership.”

As outlined in this year’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR), Norway remains one of the UK’s most valued strategic allies, serving as the only nation participating in the UK Carrier Strike Group’s complete 2025 deployment whilst also collaborating with the UK and NATO partners in safeguarding critical undersea infrastructure in Northern Europe.

Pat Browning, DE&S Type 26 Delivery Team Leader, said:

“The Norway announcement to form a government-to-government strategic partnership with the UK to tackle the threat in the North Atlantic was a result of very close working across Government and Industry partners. This involved the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, MOD Head Office, NCHQ, and efforts right across DE&S.

“It’s exciting to move into the delivery phase jointly with Norway on the arrangements to build at least an additional five Type 26 Global Combat ships. It is also exciting to work with other DE&S delivery teams, NCHQ and across the National Armaments Director Group on wider collaboration. This work will include joint support, training and operating arrangements, and strategic offset programmes as part of this historic and unprecedented partnership.”

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre said all four candidates – France, Germany, USA and the UK – provided strong and competitive proposals. Speaking on choosing the UK, he said he is “confident that the strategic partnership with the UK for purchasing, developing and operating frigates is the right decision”. He added: “This partnership enables Norway to reach the strategic objectives our Parliament set out in the current Long-Term Plan on Defence.”

The landmark deal builds on decades of close cooperation between two NATO allies, while reinforcing the Government’s Plan for Change commitment to make Defence an engine for growth, supporting skilled jobs and industrial capability across the UK.