What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement
The UK will supply the Royal Norwegian Navy with at least five Type 26 anti-submarine frigate to create a combined 13-ship fleet for the two countries’ navies. (Photo: Crown Copyright)
Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.
The commonality of design and systems appears be a growing trend across domains of the defence industry as we approach the latter years of the 2020s. Western nations are seeking increased collaboration and commonality with allies in the face of Russian aggression and an unreliable US.
This is particularly evident within Europe, specifically in the EU which has introduced generous funding programmes such as the Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) to encourage this cooperation inside the bloc.
SAFE has allocated €150 billion (US$177.18 billion) of funding to EU members for large-scale urgent procurement projects, with the caveat that the
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