Norway orders two more German Type 212CD submarines To Counter Russian Arctic Navy.

Norway has confirmed it will activate an option for two additional German-built Type 212CD submarines from thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, expanding its future fleet from four to six boats under a joint program with Germany. The move nearly doubles the program cost to around 100 billion kroner and is paired with a separate 19 billion kroner long-range missile buy, sharply boosting NATO’s undersea and strike posture in the High North against growing Russian naval activity.

The Norwegian government has formally decided to take its full option on two more Type 212CD submarines from Germany’s thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, lifting the Royal Norwegian Navy’s future ocean-going submarine fleet to six boats and pushing the program’s total price tag close to 100 billion Norwegian kroner. Announced in Oslo following parliamentary backing for a six-submarine force, the move deepens a joint German-Norwegian program that already covers four Norwegian hulls and six German boats, and is explicitly framed by officials as a response to intensified Russian submarine operations from the Kola Peninsula into the Barents Sea and North Atlantic.
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Expanding to six new submarines is intended to allow the Royal Norwegian Navy to sustain several simultaneous patrols in the North Atlantic and the Barents Sea. (Picture source: TKMS)

A joint order was signed in 2021 with Germany for six Type 212CD submarines, four of which are intended for Norway, on the basis of a 46-billion-kroner budget to replace the Ula class. Activation of the option for two additional boats, combined with higher defence equipment prices and exchange-rate effects, pushes the total bill to nearly 100 billion kroner. The first Norwegian unit is scheduled for delivery in 2029, with the others following through to the mid-2030s, allowing a gradual renewal of the fleet without loss of capability.

Each Type 212CD submarine is about 73 metres long and displaces nearly 2,500 tonnes on the surface, with an outer hull shaped with faceted lines to reduce returns from active sonars. Propulsion combines two MTU 4000 diesel engines with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system using fuel cells and lithium iron phosphate batteries. Taken together, these systems allow silent submerged operations for several weeks without snorkelling, a mission endurance of roughly forty days, and submerged speeds above 20 knots, while keeping acoustic emissions very low.

The Type 212CD is fitted with a sensor suite centred on Hensoldt optronic masts replacing traditional periscopes and on a SA9510S MkII sonar, complemented by passive flank arrays. All sensors feed into the Operations Room Combat and Control Architecture (ORCCA) combat management system, developed by the KTA Naval Systems joint venture, designed to handle a higher data volume and facilitate interoperability with allied units. An electronic warfare suite and low-probability-of-intercept navigation radars supplied by Indra increase the submarine’s survivability in monitored waters.

For armament, the Norwegian submarines have 533 mm torpedo tubes able to fire DM2A4 heavyweight torpedoes with fibre-optic guidance against surface ships and hostile submarines. Studies on integrating the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) in a submarine-launched version aim to provide a land-attack and anti-ship capability at ranges of several hundred kilometres, supplemented by mine-laying and special forces insertion options that further widen the operational profile of the Type 212CD.

The Royal Norwegian Navy currently operates six Ula-class conventional attack submarines, which still form the core of the submarine force while awaiting the new boats developed under the partnership with Germany. The fleet includes six Ula-class conventional attack submarines (SSK), each equipped with eight 533 mm torpedo tubes and armed with SeaHake DM2A3 heavyweight torpedoes, providing a credible anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare capability in Norwegian approaches, from fjords to the open waters of the North Atlantic.

Expanding to six new submarines is intended to allow the Royal Norwegian Navy to sustain several simultaneous patrols in the North Atlantic and the Barents Sea. Units fitted with air-independent propulsion (AIP) and optimised for Arctic waters can take up concealed positions along the access routes of Russia’s Northern Fleet, track the movements of its nuclear submarines, and monitor sensitive maritime approaches. Combined with P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, F-35 fighters, and coastal sensors, these quiet platforms strengthen the continuity of the underwater picture available to allied maritime commands.

The enlargement of the submarine programme is part of a broader reinforcement of Norwegian defence capabilities. In addition to the extra 46 billion kroner devoted to the two new boats, the government is planning around 19 billion kroner to equip the army with long-range strike missiles with ranges of up to 500 kilometres, with American and South Korean solutions under consideration. On the industrial side, cooperation with Germany includes the creation at Haakonsvern of shared support infrastructure for the German and Norwegian fleets and a closer relationship with Kongsberg on combat systems, reinforcing the defence industrial and technological base in Northern Europe.

The Norwegian decision is part of a wider reinforcement of allied maritime posture in the North Atlantic and the High North. In the longer term, twelve Type 212CD submarines for the German-Norwegian pool will increase allied presence between Svalbard, Iceland, and the United Kingdom and help protect underwater infrastructure in the face of increased Russian activity. The build-up of this conventional ocean-going fleet, whose concept also attracts interest from countries such as Canada, affects the undersea balance in Northern Europe and anchors freedom of navigation, energy security, and the credibility of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at the centre of international security priorities.