The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) has contracted Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) to upgrade the Royal Norwegian Navy’s fleet of six Ula-class submarines with a view to extending their operational lives, KDA announced on 23 September 2024.
KDA supplied the combat system for the Ula-class submarines, which were commissioned between 1989 and 1992, and has previously conducted upgrade programmes on the boats.
The latest upgrades will contribute to keeping the Ula-class fleet operational until the Royal Norwegian Navy’s new Type 212CD submarines are introduced in the 2030s.
In a joint programme with Germany a EUR 5.5 billion contract for development and procurement of six Type 212CDs was placed with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems on 8 July 2021, with four of those boats destined for Norway. The Norwegian Ministry of Defence, which announced it had completed the critical design review for the Type 212CD programme in August 2024, is expected to order two more Type 212CDs in due course. Thus, the six Ula-class submarines will ultimately be replaced with a similar number of Type 212CDs.
“Kongsberg is pleased to be part of the update programme, ensuring the Ula-class’ operational capability until the next generation of submarines arrives,” Eirik Lie, KDA president, was quoted as saying in a company press release.
KDA is also supplying the combat system for the Type 212CD submarines.
