The Altair class is a series of training ships in use by the Swedish Navy within the Swedish Naval Warfare Centre.[1] It is the newest and only class of training ships in service with the Swedish Navy that isn't schooners.
After the ageing fleet of minesweepers from the 1940s, then used as training ships, could no longer reach safety requirements to have an operating crew onboard, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration began a search for an already existing class to commission, but to no avail due to the strict requirements given. Therefore a new project was initiated in 2004 to design a new vessel that would fill all requirements that other boats couldn't. This decision would prove itself to be cheaper and overall better.
Although original plans was to acquire 6 ships of the class, the tight budget given only allowed for 5 to be built.[2]
As a collective decision by Gen. Håkan Syrén, RAdm. Anders Grenstad and RAdm. Leif Nylander, all ships were to be named after stars in the asterism Pleiades.
With a hull made out of aluminum and a length of roughly 26 meters as well as a beam of 6 meters, each ship has an expected service life of 25 years. Although the ships aren't built for combat duties they still maintain the ability to be modified into a buoy boat for submarine hunting if the need arises. The ships may also be fitted with M2 Brownings (Designation "Kulspruta 88") although it isn't standard issue.[3]
| Pennant number | Ship name | Delivered | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A501 | Altair | 12 May 2008 | Active | |
| A502 | Antares | 22 September 2008 | Active | |
| A503 | Arcturus | 5 December 2008 | Active | |
| A504 | Argo | 13 February 2009 | Active | |
| A505 | Astrea | 7 May 2009 | Active |