STOCKHOLM — Sweden will “evaluate and discuss” the potential acquisition of a French naval-based long-range strike capability, the head of the Swedish military told Breaking Defense, but for he’s concentrating on nearer term goals for a new frigate.
“The most important thing for me right now is that we move forward in integrating the Swedish weapon systems and sensor systems that we have included in the contract. So that’s the main topic,” Swedish Commander-in-Chief Gen. Michael Claesson said in an interview. “But of course we will evaluate and discuss the French [long-range naval cruise missile] offer as well.”
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said a naval long-range strike capability could be an important next step for Swedish forces.
“The lessons learned from the war in Ukraine are that it is very important to have this kind of long-range precision-strike capability as well. So we have an open mind. The platform we are working on right now [the FDI frigates] is of course predominantly an air-defense and ASW [anti-submarine warfare] platform, but we also have an open mind if it is possible to develop a long-range strike capability,” Jonson told Breaking Defense.
Both Claesson and Jonson spoke Monday on the sidelines of the high-profile signing of a contract between Stockholm and France’s Naval Group for four FDI frigates for some €4.3 billion. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and French President Emmanuel Macron gave speeches at the event aboard the French flagship Amiral Ronarc’h, hailing the contract. (French Minister of Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin and Jonson also signed a framework agreement to strengthen Swedish-French cooperation on operational matters, defense capabilities and industrial development.)
