While Sweden is devoting significant financial and technological efforts to the development of its future submarine capabilities, embodied in the new A26 “Blekinge” class, the Scandinavian nation has not abandoned the sustainment of its navy’s current submarine fleet. This has been reflected in the modernization program of its fleet, made up of three Gotland-class submarines (with a displacement of 1,500 tons) and the sole Västergötland-class unit (HMS Södermanland, with a displacement of 1,100 tons), from which the return to service of the third and final unit of the former, HMS Halland, has now been recorded.
The confirmation of HMS Halland’s return to service—preceded in previous years by the other two submarines of the class, HMS Gotland and HMS Uppland—was officially announced by the Swedish Navy through its social media channels on December 18.
In this regard, the service stated that HMS Halland was delivered “… to the Armed Forces following an extensive modernization. As a result, all three Gotland-class submarines have been upgraded with state-of-the-art systems, the same ones that will be installed aboard the new Blekinge-class submarines. These contribute to the security of Sweden and NATO.”
This is no minor detail, as the submarine—which was refloated last February at the Karlskrona shipyard—underwent, like the other units, an extensive modernization program led by Saab, incorporating systems that will form part of the future A26 “Blekinge” class, currently under development to equip the Swedish Navy and which has also been selected as the future submarine class for the Polish Navy.
While the exact details of the work remain classified, according to Saab’s description in 2022, when the modernization was confirmed and awarded, it involved an investment of US$ 116 million and encompassed the replacement, installation, and integration of twenty core systems essential to the submarine’s operation, including sensors, sonar, and command-and-control systems.
As noted, the presence of these new systems aboard the upgraded submarine will allow them to be matured and refined ahead of their future installation on the new Blekinge class.
This point was also highlighted by Swedish Minister of Defence Pål Jonson, who stated, on the occasion of HMS Halland’s return to service, that the submarine “… has undergone an extensive modernization incorporating technology featured in the A26 program. Among other aspects, it includes the Stirling AIP system, new sensors, and command-and-control systems. Increased system commonality strengthens the transition to the next generation of submarines.”
Finally, with all three Gotland-class submarines now modernized and returned to service, attention turns to the operational status of the aforementioned HMS Södermanland, the sole unit of the Västergötland class, which was also upgraded by Saab. The latest significant development regarding this submarine was the confirmation of its refloating in early July 2024, and as of today, neither the Ministry of Defence nor the Swedish Navy has officially confirmed its return to service.
*Photos: Swedish Navy / Saab.
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