Stockholm will soon send new submarines to the Baltic Sea to counter Russia.
Sweden wants to significantly strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea, so it will soon launch two new submarines in addition to the existing four, writes Politico.
The new 66-meter diesel-electric submarines, named Blekinge and Skåne after two Swedish counties and designed to patrol NATO’s eastern border in the Baltic Sea, will be launched in 2027 and 2028.
These are the first new submarines Sweden has built since the mid-1990s and will join four older ships in the Scandinavian country’s fleet.
Politico said that the construction of submarines in Sweden is part of a general trend towards updating the submarine fleet of the Nordic countries. So, Norway recently ordered four submarines from Germany. The Netherlands is considering the possibility of ordering 4 submarines from Germany or France. Denmark, which lost its submarine fleet in 2004, is also considering reviving it.
The renewal of European fleets comes amid demonstrative efforts by the Kremlin to expand its own fleet. So, in December, President Vladimir Putin posed on the dock of a plant in Severodvinsk against the backdrop of two new submarines – Krasnoyarsk and Emperor Alexander the Third. According to a report by the Swedish Defense Research Agency, by 2030 the Russian fleet will have 50 submarines.
As Sweden’s former submarine commander, and now an operations planner for the country’s navy, Karl Gülenius noted, with Sweden’s accession to NATO, the alliance will see the “missing piece of the puzzle” in the system of its security in the Baltic.
“The Baltic Sea is difficult to deal with if you don’t have the necessary experience, and the fact that a country in its backyard, with such experience in the region, is joining NATO should make it easier to solve operational issues, ” said Gülenius.
Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson said that Stockholm needs to buy artillery ammunition for itself and for shipping to Ukraine – the capacity of factories must increase.
As we have already written, the commander of the Swedish army, General Mikael Büden, said that he is waiting for political decisions on Gripen fighters. Ukraine can receive them, although the main aircraft is the F-16.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.