October 12, 2015: Strategy Page

Sweden has released more details of their new A26 class. This project was only announced earlier in 2015. This is a big deal because Swedish submarines have always been highly regarded because of clever design ideas and new technology each new class uses. It is now known that the A26 will have a “ghost mode” that makes the sub virtually undetectable while submerged. This includes the ability to sit on the sea floor, as if it were inert wreckage, while divers from the sub can still move in and out to plant mines or perform other functions. In short the A26 will emphasize stealth and the ability to dominate shallow and “busy” (lots of inlets, rivers and islands) coastal waters.

The A26 is a replacement for the Cold War era Gotland class boats. Two A26 subs will be in service by 2019 but all the new technology will not be completed until 2024. The two A26s will eventually replace the three Gotlands that entered service in 1996.

What made the diesel-electric Gotland unique was that it was the first submarine designed from the start to use AIP (air-independent propulsion).  With AIP it could remain submerged for 19 days. Gotlands were also among the quietest non-nuclear submarines in the world. The three Gotland class boats are highly automated, with a crew of 30. They displace 1,494 tons, are 60.4 meters (198 feet) long and have four 533mm torpedo tubes (with 12 torpedoes) and two 400mm tubes (with six torpedoes). They can also carry 48 mines externally.

The A26 is a 1,900 ton boat that is 63 meters (207 feet) long and armed in a similar fashion to the Gotlands but with about 20 percent more mines and torpedoes. Each one will cost about $500 million. Underwater endurance (with an improved AIP) is the same as the Gotlands; 18 days with overall endurance of 45 days. The A26 crew is smaller (about 28). The A26 has better electronics and can dive a bit deeper (at least 200 meters/650 feet). Both designs were mainly intended for coastal waters and the relatively shallow Baltic Sea (average depth 55 meters and max depth 459 meters). The A26 is also equipped to carry naval commandos and has a special chamber for the commandos to leave and enter the submerged sub. The core stealth technology for the A26 is called GHOST (Genuine HOlistic STealth) and some of this may end up in one or more of the refurbished Gotlands. GHOST involves more tech for keeping machinery even quieter than it is now as well as designing the shape of the A26 to make it more difficult for sonar and other sensors to detect.

Meanwhile the three Gotland boats are undergoing refurbishment and upgrades, which was always meant includes some of the new gear developed to the next class of subs. The refurbed Gotlands can serve into the late 2020s if need be. There are many nations who seek to buy second-hand Swedish subs and that’s what may happen to the Gotlands.

The U.S. Navy had a high opinion of the Gotlands as they leased one of them (along with Swedish crew) for two years (2006-7) to be a vital part of an anti-submarine warfare training program. The Gotland was something of a worst case in terms of what American surface ships and submarines might have to face in a future naval war. None of America's most likely naval opponents (China, North Korea or Iran), have many or any AIP boats, but they do have plenty of diesel-electric subs which, in the hands of skilled crews, can be pretty deadly. China is already putting AIP subs into service.  Training against the Gotland enabled the U.S. Navy to improve its anti-submarine tactics and techniques, as well as getting much valuable data from inside the Gotland. All the results of this training is highly classified, but it was apparently successful enough to get the one year program extended for another year.

Boulogne Billancourt, le 12 octobre 2015 par Sagem

A l'issue d'un appel d'offres international, Sagem (Safran) vient de signer avec le chantier naval suédois Saab Kockums un important contrat portant sur l'acquisition des mâts optroniques destinés à quatre sous-marins de la marine suédoise.

Ce programme prévoit l'équipement de deux sous-marins de future génération de la classe A26 et de deux bâtiments de la classe Gotland déjà en service, chaque unité recevant un mât optronique de veille (MOV) de type Sagem Series 30. Ce contrat comprend également les fournitures logistiques initiales.

Le choix de Saab Kockums pour le mât optronique de veille de Sagem a été motivé par la très haute performance de ses capteurs optroniques, son intégration aisée au système de combat des bâtiments, et une interface homme-machine permettant d'exploiter de façon optimale ses fonctions d'imagerie de haute définition.

Les mâts optroniques de Sagem font appel à la technologie moderne des mâts de type « non pénétrant » dans la coque épaisse du sous-marin. Ils se caractérisent par leur compacité et une architecture multi-capteurs très intégrée, tout en répondant aux exigences les plus sévères de furtivité.   

Les mâts optroniques de veille destinés à la marine royale suédoise sont issus de la famille de mâts Série 30 que Sagem développe et produit pour les sous-marins Scorpène de DCNS et pour les futurs sous-marins nucléaires d'attaque de la classe Suffren de la Marine nationale (programme Barracuda). En 2014, les mâts optroniques de Sagem ont été sélectionnés et commandés par le chantier sud-coréen DSME pour les futurs sous-marins océaniques KSS-III.  

A travers ce nouveau succès, Sagem confirme sa position de référence nationale et internationale sur le marché de l'optronique sous-marine. Leader technologique de ce segment particulièrement pointu, Sagem développe et produit en France pour ses partenaires une famille complète de périscopes d'attaque, de mâts optroniques et de mâts radars pour sous-marins. Ils sont conçus par Sagem à Massy puis intégrés dans son établissement de Dijon, les caméras infrarouges étant produites dans celui de Poitiers.

March 20, 2015 By Gerard O'Dwyer – Defense News

HELSINKI — The Swedish government's approval of $700 million in new funding to bolster naval capacity forms part of a wide-ranging capital investment plan to significantly advance the military's surface warship presence in the Baltic Sea and submarine hunting capabilities.

The special funding is intended to be used by the Navy for core investment programs in 2016-2020.

In its funding proposal, the Armed Forces Command (AFC), envisaged a more expansive naval-strengthening plan costing up to $2 billion. The government's response has been to announce the purchase of two new A26-class submarines. The capital budget earmarked for the A26-class submarine acquisition amounts to $950 million.

Saab-Kockums, which signed in June 2014 a letter of intent covering the A26's design and development, is expected to secure the contract and deliver the two submarines by 2022.

Read more

Mar 17, 2015 ASDNews Source : Saab AB

Defence and security company Saab welcomes the Swedish Minister of Defence, Peter Hultqvist’s, announcement to invest in two submarines of the next generation, A26, of a total amount of SEK 8,2 billion. The Swedish minister made the announcement in Karlskrona, Sweden.

Today, the Swedish Minister of Defence, Peter Hultqvist, announced that the government, on Thursday, intends to give a mandate to the Armed Forces to order two submarines.

Saab has not received any order on production of the new submarine but Saab looks forward to the discussions, which will lead to an agreement and order for A26. This will be a part of an earlier signed Letter of Intent.

Saab and FMV (The Swedish Defence Material Administration) signed a Letter of Intent in June 2014 regarding the Swedish Armed Forces’ underwater capability for the period 2015-2024. The Letter of Intent comprises support, development, design and production of submarines and other underwater systems, corresponding to potential orders of approximately SEK 11.2 billion, provided that necessary decisions are made.