More than four years after Norway elected to pursue a strategic co-operation with Germany covering the procurement, support, and sustain-ment of new submarines, the two governments on 8 July inked a long-trailed but much-delayed contract with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). Valued at about EUR5.5 billion (USD6.5 billion), the order -signed by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) and Germany's Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) - provides for the construction of four next-generation Type 212CD submarines for the Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN) as well as a further two identical 'common design' boats for the German Navy. Construction of the lead boat will begin in 2023 with delivery to the RNoN scheduled for 2029. The two boats for Germany are to be delivered in 2032 and 2034. Confirmation that the RNoN and German Navy will introduce a new common submarine evolved from the existing Type 212A design carries a number of political, military, and industrial ramifications. At the government-to-government level, the strategic co-operation agreement between Norway and Germany extends beyond the submarine acquisition to encompass a longer-term partnership on the procurement and support of naval materiel, including Germany's procurement of the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship missile coalesced with an update and replenishment programme for the RNoN.
展开▼
