Sweden and France have signed a new defence agreement that will deepen military and industrial cooperation between the two countries, alongside Stockholm’s purchase of four French frigates for €4.3 billion. The agreements were signed in Stockholm on Monday 31 August during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
The deal marks one of Sweden’s largest defence investments in decades and comes as Stockholm continues to expand its military capabilities following its accession to NATO.
Sweden and France sign a broader defence agreement
The agreement on the frigates was accompanied by a separate framework agreement between the Swedish and French defence ministries.
Swedish Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin signed the document aboard the French frigate Amiral Ronarc’h, which was visiting Stockholm for the ceremony.
According to the Swedish government, the agreement is intended to create a long-term strategic platform covering security policy, operational cooperation, defence equipment and industrial development.
“It is not only an agreement that is being signed today. We are also building deeper cooperation between Sweden and France to strengthen the European pillar of NATO for a long time to come,” Kristersson said, according to SVT.
Macron described the agreement as “a historic step in the cooperation between our countries”.
The two governments have increasingly presented bilateral defence cooperation as part of a wider effort to strengthen both European defence capabilities and NATO’s European pillar.
Four French frigates will join the Swedish Navy
At the centre of the agreement is Sweden’s purchase of four Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI) frigates produced by the French company Naval Group.
The contract is worth €4.3 billion, equivalent to more than SEK 47 billion, and the first vessel is expected to be delivered in 2030. The remaining ships will follow progressively.
In Swedish service, the vessels will form the new Luleå class. Stockholm began negotiations with France in May after selecting the French FDI design for its future surface fleet.
The ships are designed for several types of naval operations, including anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare. Their air-defence systems will also allow Sweden to protect a larger maritime area than its current vessels.
Jonson said the four frigates would triple Sweden’s existing naval air-defence capability.
The acquisition is the country’s largest major naval investment in decades. DR described it as Sweden’s biggest defence procurement since the decision to acquire Gripen fighter aircraft.
Defence cooperation is becoming increasingly reciprocal
The frigate purchase is not an isolated transaction between Stockholm and Paris.
France previously decided to acquire the Swedish GlobalEye airborne surveillance and command aircraft, produced by Saab, while cooperation between the two countries has expanded across several other defence areas.
France is also preparing to deploy troops to NATO’s forward presence in northern Finland, with personnel based in the Swedish city of Boden. Sweden has meanwhile participated in discussions with France over the future role of the French nuclear deterrent in European security, according to SVT.
The two countries had already signed a declaration on cooperation in total defence and resilience in June 2026.
The latest agreements therefore move the relationship beyond individual procurement decisions towards a more structured strategic partnership between two important European defence industries.
Nordic countries are rebuilding their naval forces
Sweden’s decision is also part of a wider modernisation of naval forces across the Nordic region.
Norway selected the United Kingdom as its strategic partner for new frigates in 2025 and plans to acquire at least five British Type 26 vessels. Like Sweden’s new ships, the first Norwegian frigate is expected to arrive around 2030.
The two projects have different operational priorities. Norway has placed particular emphasis on anti-submarine warfare in the North Atlantic, while Sweden’s FDI frigates will significantly expand its ability to provide air defence at sea and protect maritime routes in the Baltic.
For Sweden, the French agreement therefore combines three objectives: renewing the Navy, strengthening cooperation with a major European NATO ally and creating closer links between European defence industries. The first Luleå-class frigate in 2030 will be the most visible result of a partnership that Stockholm and Paris now intend to develop well beyond the ships themselves.
