The Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates are a class of frigates that are the main surface combatant units of the Royal Norwegian Navy. The ships are named after famous Norwegian explorers, with the lead ship of the class bearing the name of Fridtjof Nansen. Five ships were ordered from Spanish shipbuilder Bazan (now Navantia).
The total projected cost for all five ships in 2009 was (about).[1] As of November 2018, four are in active service and one has sunk and was subsequently scrapped.
The frigates were originally intended as a replacement for the aging s, with a primary focus on anti-submarine warfare (ASW). Eventually, the need for a robust anti-aircraft defense as well as the possibility of incorporating the Naval Strike Missile surface-to-surface missile produced by Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace led to a more multi-role design. The selection of Navantia as prime contractor led to the design being very similar to the Spanish Navy's s, including the incorporation of Lockheed Martin's AEGIS combat system.
The Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates are larger, and have more personnel and equipment than the Oslo-class frigates. Compared to the Oslo-class vessels, the new vessels are 35 meters longer, nine meters taller and two meters deeper below water. They are also five meters broader and have three times the water displacement of the old ships. The frigates operated six NFH NH90 helicopters, with the role as an extended "arm" of the frigates' anti-submarine and anti-surface capabilities but these will be taken out of services (2022) and returned to NH Industries. In 2023, Norway announced the acquisition of 6 MH-60R helicopters. While the helicopters would be prepared to be equipped for anti-submarine operations, they were initially to be deployed with the Norwegian Coast Guard. This meant that the replacement of helicopters specifically to operate off the Fridtjof Nansen-class remained outstanding.[2]
The 2023 defence acquisitions plan indicated that the frigates would undergo technical upgrades beginning in 2025 in order to maintain their operational capabilities.[3]
On 26 February 2009, the Norwegian government decided to deploy Fridtjof Nansen to the Gulf of Aden, thereby participating in the ongoing Operation Atalanta, the European Union's counter-piracy campaign in Somalia. Fridtjof Nansen joined the campaign in August 2009.[4] [5]
Fridtjof Nansens engagement in Operation Atalanta was carried out without a permanently stationed helicopter.[6] Mainly due to delays in delivery of the new NH-90, the ship was equipped with two fast RHIBs for its onboard contingent of maritime special operations forces (Marinejegerkommandoen).[7]
In November 2009 she became involved in a firefight with suspected pirates after being attacked while inspecting a fishing vessel.
In December 2013 HNoMS Helge Ingstad and the Danish support ship were sent to the Syrian port of Latakia to escort the Norwegian registered RoRo cargo ship and the Danish cargo ship, which transported Syrian chemical weapons to Italy where they were handed over to a United States Navy ship for destruction in international waters.[8] [9]
On 8 November 2018, while returning from participation in Exercise Trident Juncture, Helge Ingstad was involved in a collision with a Maltese-registered oil tanker, Sola TS, that severely damaged the frigate and caused a severe list that placed it in serious danger of sinking in spite of its position. The frigate first ran aground and then was successfully beached and tethered with wire cable to prevent it sinking and allow the crew to be evacuated.[10] In the early hours of 13 November the vessel partially sank with only smaller sections of the superstructure remaining above water.[11] The vessel was recovered but with the cost of repair prohibitive it has been decommissioned and was scrapped.[12]
The ships are named after explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen, Otto Sverdrup, Helge Ingstad and Thor Heyerdahl.
| Pennant number | Name | Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F310 | 23 June 2000 | 9 April 2003 | 3 June 2004 | 5 April 2006 | Active | ||
| F311 | 23 June 2000 | 3 June 2004 | 25 May 2005 | 21 May 2007[13] | Active | ||
| F312 | 23 June 2000 | 25 May 2005 | 28 April 2006 | 30 April 2008[14] | Active | ||
| F313 | 23 June 2000 | 28 April 2006 | 23 November 2007 | 29 September 2009 | 24 June 2019[15] | Sold for scrap, January 2021[16] | |
| F314 | 23 June 2000 | 23 November 2007 | 11 February 2009 | 18 January 2011 | Active | ||
In June 2023, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence published The Military Advice of the Chief of Defence 2023, in which General Eirik Kristoffersen (Chief of Defence) recommended that Norway replace the RNoN's in-service Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates and increase the force level to six ships. Delivering a new frigate likely will be central to the government’s long-term plan to build a new surface force structure within a wider fleet renewal programme. The government likely will emphasize the need to deliver the future frigate through partnership with close allies.[17]
In the New Norwegian Long Term Plan on Defence from April 2024, it is proposed to replace the class with five new frigates with the same focus (ASW) as the Nansen class.[18]