The ''Visby'' class is a warship in use by the
Swedish Navy
The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps ().
In Swedish, vessels o ...
. It is the latest class of
corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
adopted by the navy after the and corvettes. Its design emphasizes low visibility
radar cross-section
Radar cross-section (RCS), also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected.
An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy back to the source. ...
and
infrared signature Infrared signature, as used by defense scientists and the military, is the appearance of objects to infrared sensors. An infrared signature depends on many factors, including the shape and size of the object, temperature, and emissivity, reflection ...
, and the class has received widespread international attention because of its capabilities as a
stealth ship
A stealth ship is a ship that employs stealth technology construction techniques in an effort to make it harder to detect by one or more of radar, visual, sonar, and infrared methods.
These techniques borrow from stealth aircraft technology, al ...
.
The first ship in the class is named after
Visby
Visby () is an urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic city of Visby is arguably th ...
, the main city on the island of
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
.
The ''Visby'' ships are designed by
Swedish Defence Materiel Administration
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration ( sv, Försvarets materielverk, FMV) is a Swedish government agency that reports to the Ministry of Defence. The agency is responsible for the supply of materiel to the Swedish defence organisation. It ...
(FMV) and built by
Saab Kockums AB in
Karlskrona
Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Swed ...
.
The first ship of the class was launched in 2000, but production then suffered repeated delays. The fifth and last ship was delivered in 2015.
In 2021, an order was placed for the development of a second generation of evolved ''Visby'' corvettes.
Design
The hull is constructed with a sandwich design consisting of a
PVC core with a
carbon fibre
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
and
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
laminate
Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materials ...
(see also the
Oceanic-Creations spin-off). There are multiple advantages to using
composite material
A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...
s in ship hulls. Good conductivity and surface flatness means a low
radar signature
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weat ...
, while good heat insulation lowers the
infrared signature Infrared signature, as used by defense scientists and the military, is the appearance of objects to infrared sensors. An infrared signature depends on many factors, including the shape and size of the object, temperature, and emissivity, reflection ...
and increases survivability in case of fire. The composite sandwich used is also non-magnetic, which lowers the magnetic signature. Composites are also very strong for their relative weight, and less weight means a higher top speed and better maneuverability. The composite weighs roughly 50% less than the equivalent strength steel.
''Visby''s angular
tumblehome
Tumblehome is a term describing a hull which grows narrower above the waterline than its beam. The opposite of tumblehome is flare.
A small amount of tumblehome is normal in many naval architecture designs in order to allow any small projection ...
design reduces its radar signature. Jan Nilsson, one of the designers, told BBC News Online: "We are able to reduce the radar cross-section by 99%. That doesn't mean it's 99% invisible, it means that we have reduced its detection range."
[ The 57 mm cannon barrel can be folded into the turret to reduce its cross-section. There are plans for additional improvements in this area, especially for the deck rails and masts.
]
History
Much of the design was based on the experiences learned from the experimental ship HSwMS ''Smyge''. The class was originally designed to be divided into two subcategories where the last ship was optimized for surface combat and 4 others for submarine hunting; however, this was changed due to cutbacks.
A helicopter, such as the Agusta Westland A109M selected by Sweden, can land, take off, and refuel on the upper deck. A helicopter hangar was originally planned but was considered to be too cramped and was removed.
The ships took an exceptionally long time from launch to delivery and the construction has been fraught with repeated delays. In 2008, the only weapons system that had been integrated and tested in ''Visby'' was the gun.
Finally, on 16 December 2009, the next two of the corvettes were delivered to the Swedish Navy by the Försvarets materielverk (FMV). The two ships, K32 and K33, were delivered with underwater and surface/air sensors fully integrated. However, the only weapon that had been integrated and test-fired on the ships was still the Bofors 57 Mk3 gun. The FMV calls this version 4, which aims to get the ships into service and start training crews.
Version 5 is due in 2012 and is intended to supplement the ships with mine clearance systems, helicopter landing capability (only K31 is certified to date), anti-surface ship missiles, and additional stealth adaptation. ''Visby'' was the first of the corvettes to be upgraded to Version 5. On 22 March 2012 FMV reported that the ship had been modified and that the system would be tested before reentering the Swedish Navy by the end of 2012.
Although the design of the ships originally called for the installation of surface-to-air missiles, on 18 September 2008 the Genomförandegruppen cancelled the project in order to rationalize the procurement of defence materiel for the Swedish defence.
Mid-life upgrade
In January 2021 Saab and the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) signed a contract for the mid-life upgrade of the five Visby corvettes. The MLU will include the installation of surface-to-air missiles, the implementation of upgraded anti-ship missiles & anti-submarine torpedoes, improved sensors and enhanced electronic warfare capabilities. The upgrade of all five ships will be completed before 2030 and the MLU aims to keep the Visby corvettes operationally relevant beyond 2040
Second Generation
In January 2021 FMV and SAAB also signed an agreement for the product definition phase of the ''Visby'' Generation 2 corvettes. The new corvettes are to be equipped with modern anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes. Four Visby Gen 2 corvettes will be built with the first two ships scheduled for delivery to the Swedish navy around the year 2030 with the latter two ships being delivered sometime between 2031-2035. Rear admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum
Rear Admiral Ewa Ann-Sofi Skoog Haslum née ''Skoog'' (born 26 March 1968) is a Swedish Navy officer. She currently serves as Chief of Navy.
Early life
Skoog was born on 26 March 1968 in Hov Parish, Kristianstad County, Sweden, and she grew up ...
stated that the Visby generation 2 corvettes will be larger than the current Visby corvettes, stating that increased range and crew complement are the main reasons for this change. On 1 November 2022 the Supreme Commander of the Swedish armed forces, general Micael Bydén
General Per Micael Bydén (born 13 June 1964) is the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, appointed on 11 September 2015. He was earlier senior commander in the Swedish Air Force. Bydén served as the Chief of Air Force between 2012 an ...
published his recommendations for how the armed forces should grow over the coming years at the request of the Swedish government. This included the recommendation that the upcoming Visby Gen 2 corvettes should be equipped with longer range surface-to-air missiles than those which will be used on the "Visby Gen 1" in order for the ships to be able to act as part o
NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defences
Further recommendations included modifications to the ships to increase their interoperability with both NATO’s standing maritime groups and the UK Joint Expeditionary Force
The UK Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a United Kingdom-led expeditionary force which consists of, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. Eight of the countries are also members of NATO, wit ...
.
Units
All systems for the ship ''Uddevalla'' were acquired, but the ship was later canceled, so there are now plans to build a full ''Visby'' class simulator.
PTK Visby, the lead ship of the class, is doing system tests and readying the ships for active service within the Swedish Navy
The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps ().
In Swedish, vessels o ...
. The formation is under the 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla but takes its orders from the FMV. The system tests are taking a long time partly because of funding issues and partly because of the novel and cutting-edge nature of the platform.
Similar ships
* Tuo Chiang stealth corvette (Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
)
* (United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
)
* (Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
)
*Type 022 missile boat
The Type 22 ( NATO designation: ''Houbei'' class) missile boat is a ship class in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. The first boat was launched in April 2004 by the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard at Shanghai. The boats incorporate stealth feat ...
(China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
)
* Milgem-class corvette (Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
)
* (Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
)
Gallery
File:K33_HMS_Haernosand_Karlskrona_Marindagen2008.jpg, ''Härnösand'' at Karlskrona
Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Swed ...
Naval Base.
File:HMS_Helsingborg_2.jpg, ''Helsingborg'' visiting her namesake.
File:K32 hms helsingborg stockholm 2008-11-16.jpg, ''Helsingborg'' in Stockholm City.
File:NATO ships take part in BALTOPS 20 MOD 45167293.jpg, HSwMS ''Karlstad'' with British Merlin helicopter during BALTOPS
BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) is an annual military exercise, held and sponsored by the Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe, since 1971, in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it.
The purpose of BALTOPS is to train gunnery, replenis ...
20
References
External links
Official builder's homepage
(as of 2018)
Swedish navy page on the Visby trials
Naval-Technology
- www.naval-technology.com
{{Authority control
Corvette classes
Stealth ships