Overview
- Defence ministers John Healey and Tore O. Sandvik signed the agreement in Downing Street as Keir Starmer hosted Jonas Gahr Støre at RAF Lossiemouth.
- The navies will field a combined force of at least 13 British-built Type 26 anti-submarine frigates—eight UK and at least five Norwegian—to operate in the North Atlantic, including the GIUK gap, with patrols ramping up as ships enter service in the late 2020s and early 2030s.
- Both countries will operate as one by sharing maintenance facilities, technology and equipment to create fully interchangeable deployments.
- London will join Norway’s programme to develop motherships for uncrewed mine-hunting and undersea-warfare systems, with both nations pushing NATO adoption of autonomous capabilities in the High North.
- Further measures include Royal Navy adoption of Norwegian Naval Strike Missiles, deeper collaboration on Sting Ray torpedoes, year-round Royal Marines training in Norway and joint wargaming, with officials citing recent encounters such as the Yantar spy ship incident.