New Submarines - status per 1 February 2018
Article | Last updated: 05/02/2018 | Ministry of Defence
The Norwegian Submarine Project is on track. Germany and Norway are working closely together on procuring identical submarines, and the joint process towards the submarine supplier tkMS is well under way.
Germany and Norway agreed on a strategic partnership for new submarines in 2017. As a result, the two nations entered into a bilateral agreement on naval materiel cooperation 30. June 2017. The cooperation goes far beyond procurement of new identical submarines, and includes cooperation on naval missiles, strengthening the Navy-to-Navy cooperation, expanding industrial cooperation, and increasing cooperation on research and development in the naval domain.
Contract in 2019
Germany and Norway are now working closely together on procuring the new identical submarines, the 212CD. The procurement organisations Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) and the Bundesamt für Ausrüstnung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) are now in a commercial process with the submarine supplier thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS), who in turn is in the process with a large number of potential subcontractors from a variety of different nations. A binding offer is expected from tkMS in mid-2018. Germany and Norway will then start negotiations with the shipyard, with the aim of signing a contract in 2019.
Infrastructure and maintenance
Preparation for the necessary buildings and infrastructure projects related to the new submarines is under way. Norway is planning to reuse and update existing infrastructure wherever possible. In addition, a project for a new maintenance facility is being prepared. This facility is necessary for Norway to retain the capability to maintenance of the new submarines.
Additional partners
Italy, the Netherlands and Poland are planning procurement of new submarines in the same period as Norway and Germany. We are working together towards these nations with the hope of gaining more submarine partners in order for all to achieve greater synergies and economies of scale.