UK and Norway sign formal naval cooperation agreement
The Anglo-Norwegian Lunna House Agreement will be signed today as the Norwegian Prime Minister visits RAF Lossiemouth, representing the most significant deepening of UK–Norway naval cooperation since the early Cold War.
Joint Type 26 force in the North Atlantic
At the core of the agreement is the formalisation of the plan for RN and Royal Norwegian Navy (RNN) to operate an interchangeable Type 26 frigate force, intended to comprise 8 British and at least 5 Norwegian vessels. Following the announcement the RNN will buy Type 26 frigates built in the UK this pact takes the deal beyond being merely an economic win but provides a significant strategic advantage for both navies. These ASW specialist vessels will be the primary surface combatants operating against Russian submarines in the Arctic, Greenland–Iceland–UK gap and North Atlantic. Mirroring established P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft cooperation, crews from both navies will share maintenance facilities, technologies and equipment, allowing deployments to be generated more rapidly and sustaining a common approach to operations in the High North.
Mothership cooperation
A significant element of the announcement is the UK’s decision to join Norway’s programme to develop support vessels that will act as motherships for uncrewed systems. These vessels are intended to host, deploy and recover uncrewed mine hunting craft, remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater systems. The RN has a stated requirement for at least 3 new-build motherships or Offshore Support Vessels (OSV) to support the transition to uncrewed minehunting.
https://www.navylookout.com/uk-and-norway-sign-formal-naval-cooperation-agreement/
