The prime contractor on the Swedish Navy’s Göteborg-class corvette upgrade project has contracted Kongsberg Maritime to deliver ST2400 VDS (Varial Depth Sonar) systems to enhance the corvettes’ anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
HSwMS Gävle and HSwMS Sundsvall, the two remaining corvettes in the class, are being upgraded by Saab under a BSEK 1.249 (approx. US$148 million) contract from July this year.
The ST2400 VDS will allow the corvettes to better detect submarines, mines and unmanned underwater vehicles in littoral waters.
According to Kongsberg, the ST2400 VDS is a medium-frequency sonar designed with an emphasis on improving performance and operation in shallow waters. It weigs under 3 tonnes and can be rapidly deployed for high speed manoeuvring in addition to full stop (dipping mode).
Kongsberg Maritime’s Thomas Hostvedt Dahle said: “We are pleased to strengthen our position within littoral ASW and especially in the Baltics and in Sweden. The Royal Swedish Navy has seen the ST2400 VDS in action on our test vessel in Horten (Norway) and experienced its capabilities already operated by the Finnish Navy in Baltic exercises. The ST2400 VDS is unique as it’s a compact package with coverage and performance that can overcome challenging acoustic environments while not limiting a ship’s manoeuvrability.”
HSwMS Gävle and HSwMS Sundsvall were built by Swedish shipbuilder Karlskronavarvet AB and delivered between 1990 and 1993. The other two vessels constituting the Göteborg-class were the lead corvette HSwMS Göteborg and HSwMS Kalmar, which were decommissioned earlier.