Norway's massive arms program. “We observe an increase in the activity of Russian forces in the North Atlantic and the Barents Sea”
Submarine produced by the German company Thyssenkrupp Photo: Martin Witte / Alamy / Profimedia
Norway, a country neighboring Russia, will order two new German submarines, “absolutely essential” for deterrence, and long-range missiles, the government in Oslo announced on Friday, reports AFP, picked up by News.ro.
Norway had already ordered four submarines from the German supplier Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS) in 2021, the Ministry of Defense reminds in a statement. The first should be delivered in 2029.
“Norway is a coastal and maritime nation, and submarines are absolutely essential for the defense of our country. We are seeing an increase in the activity of Russian forces in the North Atlantic and the Barents Sea,” Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik said in a statement.
“As NATO's 'eyes and ears' in the north, this requires a greater ability to show presence, surveillance and deterrence in our immediate areas. In this context, submarines are absolutely indispensable”, points out the minister.
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The amount is considerable: to finance this acquisition, the government is proposing an increase in the budget by 46 billion kroner (3.9 billion euros), stating that the “unit price of submarines and their weapon systems” has increased due to the increase in the prices of critical raw materials as well as defense equipment.
In a separate statement, the Ministry of Defense also announced the purchase of long-range missiles, worth 19 billion crowns. These weapons will allow reaching, “with great precision”, the targets located at distances of up to 500 kilometers, the minister emphasized.
Russia and the Nordic country share 198 kilometers of land border in the far north, as well as a maritime border in the Barents Sea.
