UK secures its largest ever warship deal from Norway

{"text":[[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":6.84,"text":"The UK defence sector has beaten out international rivals to land its largest ever warship export deal, from Norway, as Oslo and London move to deepen defence ties in the face of increasing Russian aggression in the Arctic and north Atlantic."}],[{"start":24.919999999999998,"text":"The deal, which the UK Ministry of Defence said would be worth £10bn to the British economy, means Norway will buy at least five British Type-26 frigates that will primarily be built in Glasgow by BAE Systems, with first deliveries expected in 2030."}],[{"start":43.56999999999999,"text":"The US, France and Germany had also been competing for the contract, but Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on Sunday the “strategic partnership” with the UK was “the right decision”."}],[{"start":58.50999999999999,"text":"It would “strengthen our and Nato’s ability to patrol and protect the maritime areas in the High North”, he added."}],[{"start":66.83999999999999,"text":"The MoD said, under the agreement, the UK and Norway would operate a “combined fleet” of 13 anti-submarine frigates “to detect, classify, track and defeat hostile submarines”."}],[{"start":81.57,"text":"Strengthening Europe’s ability to counter Russian submarine activity in the north Atlantic and Arctic has been a focus for US President Donald Trump as his administration looks to Nato allies to strengthen regional defence."}],[{"start":95.6,"text":"“With Norway, we will train, operate, deter, and — if necessary — fight together,” UK defence secretary John Healey said on Sunday, adding the frigates would help “hunt Russian submarines” and “protect our critical infrastructure”."}],[{"start":111.97999999999999,"text":"“Our navies will work as one, leading the way in Nato,” Healey said."}],[{"start":116.71,"text":"In a call with Støre, the UK’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the deal would lead to “unparalleled interoperability for Norwegian and British forces” and comes ahead of an expected new defence agreement between the two countries."}],[{"start":132.7,"text":"In the past week, UK, Norwegian and US forces, including Poseidon submarine-hunter aircraft, have been active in the north Atlantic in what was reported as an operation targeting the tracking of at least one Russian submarine."}],[{"start":149.39,"text":"The MoD confirmed the activity was an “operation” rather than a training exercise, without providing further details."}],[{"start":158.38,"text":"Norway and the UK also collaborate on protecting North Sea infrastructure such as gas pipelines, electricity interconnectors and data cables from hybrid attacks, an area of increased concern since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine."}],[{"start":175.28,"text":"The deal, the UK’s largest warship export contract by value, is expected to provide a big boost for the defence industry at a time when the government has targeted the sector for economic growth."}],[{"start":188.81,"text":"BAE has also licensed the Type-26 design to Canada and is building the warships in Australia under a contract with Canberra."}],[{"start":199.21,"text":"Labour has pledged to raise defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035 from 2.3 per cent in 2024."}],[{"start":209.4,"text":"Healey said the contract with Norway would support 4,000 jobs in the UK with more than half of those in Scotland at BAE Systems’ shipyards in Glasgow. One person familiar with the deal said it would sustain existing jobs rather than leading to increased hiring."}],[{"start":229.33,"text":"Charles Woodburn, BAE chief executive, hailed the deal as reflecting Norway’s “confidence in British industry’s ability to deliver”. "}],[{"start":238.58,"text":"Another person familiar with the deal said BAE’s order book at its Glasgow dockyard was now filled for years to come, with expected knock-on benefits for other shipyards that could secure a higher share of future MoD and international orders."}],[{"start":257.07,"text":"The Norway deal is expected to support 432 companies in the UK, the MoD added, while Norway said the two countries had a “draft agreement” for the UK to guarantee industrial co-operation with Norwegian industry “equivalent to the total value of the acquisition”."}],[{"start":275.36,"text":"The MoD is facing questions as to whether building the five Type-26s for Norway would delay the UK’s frigates coming into service, with eight due to be delivered to the Royal Navy in 2028-35."}],[{"start":291.56,"text":"The government said on Sunday that all Type-26s would be in service by the end of the 2030s, and that the two navies were in effect acting as one."}],[{"start":302.35,"text":"The UK and Norway are set immediately to begin detailed talks on build time-slots for the vessels and a final price."}],[{"start":311.13,"text":"Additional reporting by Sylvia Pfeifer in London and Richard Milne in Oslo"}],[{"start":326.02,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftmailbox.cn/album/a_1756692891_2960.mp3"}