Norway inks £10 billion deal, to acquire British Type-26 frigates for defence upgrade

The Norwegian government has selected the United Kingdom as a strategic partner for the acquisition of new frigates and has chosen BAE Systems to build five to six frigates as part of its strategic partnership with Britain, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store announced Sunday. The purchase of British frigates will be the largest Norwegian defence capability investment to date. Delivery of the British Type-26 frigates to Norway will start in 2030. The contract is worth an estimated 100 billion kroner (£10 billion), according to media reports. BAE beat out competing bids for the frigates from French, German and US groups.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had all travelled to Norway in recent months to push for their respective offers.

“Their capabilities and the closeness of our partnership supported our common belief that the British frigate is the best, as well the very strong integration between the Norwegian and British navies over the years,” Store said.

“We’ve just agreed a £10 billion deal with Norway to export our world-leading Type 26 frigates. Supporting thousands of UK jobs, from apprentices to engineers,” Starmer said, in a social media post.

The deal will pump billions of pounds into the UK economy and secure thousands of jobs in Britain for years to come.

Norway’s defence deal will see a combined fleet of 13 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates—eight British and at least five Norwegian—operate jointly in Northern Europe, significantly strengthening NATO’s northern flank.

The deal will support 4,000 jobs across the UK supply chain until well into the 2030s, including more than 2,000 at BAE Systems’ Glasgow shipyards.

Australia and Canada have also selected the design for Type 26 for their Navies.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “This £10 billion deal is what our Plan for Change is about – creating jobs, driving growth and protecting national security for working people.”

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre said, “Norway and the United Kingdom are close allies, with common interests and strong bilateral ties. I am confident that the strategic partnership with the UK for purchasing, developing and operating frigates is the right decision. This partnership enables Norway to reach the strategic objectives our Parliament set out in the current Long-Term Plan on Defence.”

Norway remains one of the United Kingdom’s most valued strategic allies, serving as the only nation participating in the UK Carrier Strike Group’s complete 2025 deployment whilst also collaborating with the UK and NATO partners in safeguarding critical undersea infrastructure in Northern Europe.

The Type 26 features sophisticated weapons, advanced sensors, and cutting-edge communications, with a flexible design that enables future upgrades to counter emerging threats.