Sweden has commenced work on the HMS Blekinge submarine, the first of two Blekinge-class submarines. The Blekinge is intended to replace the Gotland-class submarine by the end of the decade.
The A26 Blekinge project submarine’s keel-laying ceremony took place on June 30 in conjunction with Sweden’s application to join NATO, breaking with long-standing neutrality. The first and most significant step in the construction process was the keel laying.
The president and chief executive officer of Saab, the primary contractor for the A-26 program, Micael Johansson, stated: “Sweden’s high scientific and technical capabilities put Sweden in one of the few countries in the world that is capable of capacity to build modern and advanced submarines. The ceremony is evidence that Sweden has regained its defense capabilities in addition to marking an important milestone for the HMS Blekinge. When HMS Skane, the second ship, follows in the first ship’s footsteps will be eagerly anticipated.
The Swedish navy purchased the Blekinge submarine in 2015. Construction began in 2017 at the Saab Kockum shipyard in Karlskrona, where Swedish ships have been built for the past 300 years. The relocation is not expected to take place until 2027 or 2028.
The development of the Blekinge-class submarines has received $840 million from the Swedish Navy in an effort to replace the Cold War-era Södermanland class diesel-electric submarines.
The Blekinge-class submarine is about 66 meters longer and weights around 2,000 tons than the Gotland-class submarine. The non-nuclear Blekinge-class submarines’ Stirling engines enable them to maintain submerged status for a number of days to a number of weeks, a capability previously only possible to nuclear-powered submarines.
The Blekinge-class submarine will make use of many of the systems that were upgraded for the Gotland submarine.
The Blekinge class may turn out to be one of the quietest submarine classes ever constructed as a result of the extensive thought that went into its construction.
