Francia lancia la difesa e le fregate di intervento in Svezia

>In January 2024, France and Sweden renewed their strategic partnership, with a focus on military cooperation. According to a letter of intent signed by Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, and Pål Jonson, his Swedish counterpart, the agreement included plans to establish partnerships in the areas of ground-to-air defense and aerial surveillance. In addition, in line with a previous agreement, MBDA and Saab agreed on new developments for the Akeron MP anti-tank missile (formerly known as the Medium Range Missile).

>

>On June 18, at the International Paris Air Show [SIAE] in Le Bourget, Mr. Lecornu and Mr. Jonson confirmed the intentions announced nearly a year and a half ago by signing a “roadmap” intended to guide Franco-Swedish military cooperation for the coming years.

>

>” This roadmap sends a strong signal in favor of building a European defense and is in line with the ties that unite the two countries, particularly through the implementation of common equipment: NH90 helicopter, Bonus shells, AT4F2 rocket, high-mobility vehicle [BvS10],” the Ministry of the Armed Forces emphasized in a press release. It added: “It is already yielding concrete results with the signing, at the International Paris Air Show, of a contract for the acquisition of MBDA’s Akeron MP missiles and a letter of intent concerning Saab’s GlobalEye system.”

>Indeed, the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration [Försvarets materielverk – FMV] has confirmed the signing of a contract with MBDA for the delivery of an unspecified number of Akeron MP missiles [or Robotsystem 58, according to local nomenclature].

>

>As for the GlobalEye system, the Directorate General of Armament [DGA] will begin contract negotiations with Saab for the purchase of at least two units to replace the Air & Space Force’s E-3F SDCA [or AWACS] early warning aircraft before 2035.
That being said, in its press release, the Ministry of the Armed Forces indicated that this cooperation would extend to medium-range air defense based on the Aster missile [even though the Swedish armed forces are already equipped with American Patriot systems] as well as naval capabilities, with Naval Group’s Defense and Intervention Frigate [FDI, Ronarc’h class] having been proposed for the “Swedish next-generation surface vessel program.”

That actually may be a bad idea. France sails in warmer climate, so their ships may prove unreliable in northern climate. Actually, after WW2 Italy sold some warship design to USSR; and the good and reliable italian designs were too prone to metal fatigue and cracking due to harsh thermal environment up north. Swedes maybe better of either by designing their own ships, or at least redesigning Frensh models.