At the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) exhibition in Oslo, Norway, on 26 March 2025 thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tKMS) and Norwegian shipyard Ulstein Verft signed a letter of intent (LoI) that marked a further step in the co-operation between Germany and Norway in the field of naval shipbuilding.
If a contract is awarded for the next Norwegian frigate programme, which will seek to replace Norway’s four remaining Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates, a significant part of the added value will be created in Norway. The LoI with Ulstein Verft thus underlines tKMS’s commitment to co-operating with Norwegian industry and strengthening local expertise in shipbuilding.
The signing took place at the tKMS stand at the show in front of a model of the company’s F127 frigate, which tKMS is pitching for the Norwegian frigate requirement. Joachim Wacker, head of product sales and strategy at tKMS, and Lars Lühr Olsen, managing director of Ulstein Verft, emphasised the benefits of the collaboration in their brief statements.
On 19 November 2024 the Norwegian government announced that it had entered into strategic talks with Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the United States with the aim of exploring potential international partners for the construction of new frigates. This initiative is part of a comprehensive modernisation programme for the Norwegian armed forces, with the development of a modern naval fleet a key element of Norway’s national security strategy. The new generation of Norwegian frigates will be required to have improved electronic and military systems, but also offer greater flexibility in international operations.
In the maritime sector Oslo wants to secure access to innovative technologies and advanced manufacturing methods by co-operating with established partners from countries with which Norway already has close security and industrial relations. In addition to technology transfer, the focus is also on promoting the domestic economy as a kind of pay-off for the high defence spending.
The current co-operation agreement between tkMS and Ulstein Verft was preceded by a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between BAE Systems and the Norwegian shipyard Hamek on 24 February 2025, given that the British Type 26 frigate design is also being considered by Norway.
