TKMS joins forces with Norwegian shipbuilder for Fridtjof Nansen frigate replacement bid
An artist’s illustration of the potential Fridtjof Nansen replacement by TKMS. (Image: TKMS)
Four shipbuilders have been downselected to build the frigate replacement programme, and TKMS hopes the new deal will give it a geographical advantage.
German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Norwegian firm Ulstein Werft to collaborate in a bid to deliver the replacement vessels for the Royal Norwegian Navy’s Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates.
TKMS is one of four potential builders of the frigate fleet which were downselected in November 2024. Vard, a Norwegian firm, offered a US-style Constellation-class vessel, while BAE Systems put forward its Type 26 frigate, already in use in the UK’s Royal Navy and recently sold to Canada as the basis of its new River-class Destroyer fleet.
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