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Submarine

Sweden In development

Saab AB

A26 Blekinge-class

The next-generation Swedish attack submarine designed by Saab Kockums with a Stirling air-independent propulsion plant and a Multi-Mission Portal for launching divers and unmanned underwater vehicles. Two boats are under construction for the Swedish Navy to replace the Södermanland class.

Planned service entry 2027 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

200

m depth

1,930

crew

💲 ≈ $1,310,000,000, Approximately SEK 12.5 billion (about USD 1.31 billion) per boat at 2025 prices.

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Swedish export-licensed

ISP licensing; EU/Wassenaar controls.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Development status

Limited · 1 operator

Planned service entry 2027. Status: announced · ~2 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

$3.3B – $4.6B

Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the A26 Blekinge-class can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

Tp 45 heavyweight torpedo naval mines

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Torpedo tubes Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships).	6 Stronger than 55% of submarines

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	66 m

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion specifications
Engine Powerplant model and type.	4x Kockums Mk V V4-275R Stirling AIP engines plus 2x diesel engines, 1 shaft
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…	Diesel-electric with Stirling air-independent propulsion

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Naval specifications
Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes, the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.	1,930 t
Full-load displacement Displacement fully loaded with fuel, stores and munitions.	2,100 t
Submerged speed Maximum speed while submerged (submarines). Higher is faster underwater.	20 kn Stronger than 27% of submarines
Endurance Days at sea before resupply. Higher sustains longer deployments.	45 days
Test depth Maximum rated diving depth (submarines). Deeper is harder to detect and engage. Actual crush depth is classified.	200 m Bottom 4% of submarines
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.	26
Propulsion plant Machinery type, nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.	Diesel-electric with Stirling air-independent propulsion

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors & avionics specifications
Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.	Atlas Elektronik bow, conformal flank-array and HF intercept sonars, Kongsberg SA9510S mine-avoidance and navigation sonar, Kongsberg EM2040 multibeam echo sounder and side-scan sonar, Sagem Safran Series 30 optronic surveillance mast

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.	$1,310,000,000 Stronger than 41% of submarines
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.	2 Stronger than 16% of submarines
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.	1 Stronger than 39% of submarines

Specifications compiled from public Saab AB and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

Compare with rivals

See how it stacks up

Submarine

A26 Blekinge-class Walrus class

Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) Walrus class

View Walrus class ↗

Submarine

A26 Blekinge-class Suffren class

Naval Group Suffren class

View Suffren class ↗

Submarine

A26 Blekinge-class Triomphant class

Naval Group Triomphant class

View Triomphant class ↗

Head-to-head comparisons

A26 Blekinge-class vs

Astute class

Frequently asked questions

What engine does the Saab AB A26 Blekinge-class use? +

The Saab AB A26 Blekinge-class is powered by the 4x Kockums Mk V V4-275R Stirling AIP engines plus 2x diesel engines, 1 shaft.

How many countries operate the Saab AB A26 Blekinge-class? +

The Saab AB A26 Blekinge-class is operated by 1 countries.

How much does the Saab AB A26 Blekinge-class cost? +

The Saab AB A26 Blekinge-class has an approximate unit cost of 1,310,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.