Norway has joined the Royal Navies of the UK, Canada and Australia to forge a formidable future Global Combat Ship partnership.
The Royal Norwegian Navy was officially welcomed into the team which is overseeing the development, construction and operation of a common class of up to 34 world-class warships as Captain Alex Erichsen signed the Global Combat Ship User Group Charter.
The group oversees all aspects of the Global Combat Ship endeavor – covering the Type 26 frigate for Norway and the UK, the Hunter-class frigate for Australia, and the River-class destroyer for Canada.
The group convenes regularly to discuss progress with the multi-billion-pound international endeavor, spanning everything from construction to the training of crews and ultimately front-line operations.
Senior figures in the program gathered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for both discussions and a chance to see progress with HMCS Fraser, the first vessel for the Royal Canadian Navy, which was laid down 12 months ago, and invited Norway to sign the charter.
Norway intends to procure at least five Type 26 frigates and will operate them side-by-side with the Royal Navy’s eight identical warships with the focus on safeguarding the Atlantic and Europe’s northern flank from hostile submarines.
“It is a pleasure to formally welcome Norway into the Global Combat Ship User Group community through signing of the joint charter,” said Commodore Stephen Roberts, the Senior Responsible Owner for the UK Type 26 frigate program.
“Our strategic maritime security partnership with allies is further strengthened by Norway’s inclusion in the wider GCS enterprise alongside our Canadian and Australian partners.”
A total of 34 ships are planned to be constructed, each vessel following a fundamental design, but with some different sensors/combat systems/weaponry fitted to the Australian and Canadian variants earning it the tag “three programs, four nations”.
“It is an honor for Norway and the Royal Norwegian Navy to join the Global Combat Ship User Group and formally enter the wider Type 26 community,” said Captain Alexander Erichsen, Chief Fleet Program for the Royal Norwegian Navy.
“This marks an important step in our strategic partnership with the United Kingdom and reinforces our close cooperation with Canada and Australia.
“By aligning our future frigate capability on a common design, we strengthen interoperability, shared understanding and collective maritime security across allied navies. Norway looks forward to contributing actively to the Global Combat Ship collaboration and to benefiting from the strong industrial and operational partnerships that underpin it.”
In addition to playing a decisive role in the individual and collective security of the participating navies – already long-standing allies in times of war and peace –, the Global Combat Ship endeavor will:
– lead to closer cooperation, understanding and – where required – interchangeability between the allied nations and navies;
to assist shipbuilding industries to deliver capability to a high degree of technical, material and operational readiness against evolving threats;
– spread the burden of testing and developing systems and machinery, sharing lessons, reducing costs/time/duplication;
– contribute to the long-term future of the defense industries – and the supply chains – of the participating countries, avoiding commercial fratricide; and explore opportunities for capability updates, upgrades and long-term sustainment.
– When the ships begin entering service at the end of this decade, led by HMS Glasgow for the Royal Navy, they will be at the forefront of anti-submarine warfare, but also highly-capable multi-role warships capable of adapting to increasingly-rapid changes in war at sea.
Key to that ability to adapt is the mission bay, which can accommodate several shipping-container-sized cargoes (known as PODs in the Royal Navy, Persistent Operational Deployment Systems) for specific missions: disaster relief, aerial, surface or underwater drones, mine-hunting or hydrographic survey equipment, boats and kit for marines raiding parties.