Blekinge-class submarine

Class overview
NameBlekinge class
BuildersSaab Kockums
Operators Swedish Navy
Preceded byGotland class
Cost
  • SEK 14 billion (2022) for 2 units
  • SEK 7 billion (2022) per unit
  • US$ 816 million per unit
In serviceUnder construction [1][2]
Planned2
Building2
Completed0
General characteristics
TypeAttack submarine
Displacement1,925 long tons (1,956 t) surfaced
Length66.1 m (216 ft 10 in)
Beam6.75 m (22 ft 2 in)
Draught6 m (19 ft 8 in)
PropulsionDiesel-electric and Stirling AIP[3]
Endurance45 days (18 days underwater with AIP)[citation needed]
Test depth200 m (656 ft 2 in)
Complement17–26[3]
Armament
  • 4x 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes
  • 400 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes
  • Torped 62, mines
  • A total payload of more than fifteen 53 cm weapons is possible

The Blekinge-class submarine is the next generation of submarines developed by Kockums for the Swedish Navy,[4] also known as the A26 type.

First planned at the beginning of the 1990s, the project was called "U-båt 2000" and was intended to be ready by the late 1990s or early 2000. With the end of the Cold War the naval threat from the Soviet Union disappeared and the new submarine class was deemed unnecessary.[5] The project lay dormant for years until the mid-2000s when the need for a replacement for the Södermanland class became apparent. Originally the Scandinavian countries had intended to collaborate on the Viking class, but Denmark's withdrawal from submarine operations[citation needed] meant that Kockums proceeded on their own.

In February 2014 the project was cancelled because of disagreements between Kockums's new German owners, ThyssenKrupp, and the Swedish government. ThyssenKrupp refused to send a complete offer to any potential buyer and demanded that each buyer pay for the entire development rather than sharing the cost.[6] The cancellation resulted in the Kockums equipment repossession incident on 8 April 2014. As per protocol, the Swedish government repossessed all equipment belonging to Defence Materiel Administration (Sweden), as well as all secret blueprints and images, using an armed escort. By orders from a manager, Kockums staff tried to sabotage the repossession by locking the gates with the repossession crew and escort still inside.[6][7]

Maritime Today on 18 March 2015 reported that the project was restarted after the Swedish government placed a formal order for two A26 submarines for a maximum total cost of SEK 8.2 bn (approximately US$945 million as of 18 March 2015). According to the article, a Letter of Intent (LOI) had earlier been signed by Saab and FMV (The Swedish Defence Material Administration) in June 2014 regarding the Swedish Armed Forces’ underwater capability for the period 2015–2024. Saab has since acquired Kockums.[8] The order in question for the two A26 submarines has been placed with what is now "Saab Kockums."[9][10] These were to be delivered no later than 2022, a date subsequently pushed back, initially to 2024–25[11] and subsequently even further to 2027–28.[12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Karlberg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sverige ska satsa på nya ubåtar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "A26 Submarine type A26" (PDF). Kockums. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  4. ^ "Kockums A26: Designed to Meet Future Challenges". Saab Group. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  5. ^ dead link [permanent dead link]
  6. ^ a b Sköld, Josefin (5 May 2014). "Sanningen om den hemliga gryningsräden mot Kockums". Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  7. ^ Svennson, Gunnar (20 May 2014). "Sanningen om räden mot Kockums". Blekinge läns tidning. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  8. ^ Abrahamson, Håkan. "Klart att Saab köper Kockums" [Clearly Saab buying Kockums] (in Swedish). SE: Ny Teknik. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  9. ^ Hallberg, Michelle (17 March 2015). "Saab Kockums får ny beställning på 2 ubåtar". SVT. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  10. ^ Runol, Runol (17 March 2015). "Nya ubåtar ska utvecklas i Malmö". Sydsvenska Dagbladet. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  11. ^ Karlsson, Jenny (17 March 2015). "Regeringen köper två nya ubåtar till 2022". Omni. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Saab, FMV, renegotiate a 26 submarine contract as costs rise, schedule slips". Jane’s. 31 August 2021.