The investigation into the sabotage of the Russian Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea has now caused all the countries around the Baltic Sea to focus on the underwater capability Seabed Warfare Operations. TV4 News has been allowed to visit Sweden’s most secret capability – the submarine flotilla in Karlskrona – and visit the place where the world’s most modern submarines are currently being built. TV4 Nyheterna has been allowed to step aboard the submarine Gotland, which is one of the Swedish Armed Forces’ total of four submarines. Three of the Gotland class one in the older version Södermanland. Nothing is so surrounded by strict secrecy as this particular part of Sweden’s defence. Now also in sharp focus. Difficult to detect – Submarines as a system have a number of inherent abilities that make them difficult to detect, can be gone for a very long time and it will cost the adversary quite a lot of work and resources to find us out there, says Fredrik Lindén who is the head of the submarine flotilla and who himself served aboard the Swedish submarines for a decade. When the two Russian gas pipelines Nord Stream were blown up last year just a short distance out to sea as seen from the naval base in Karlskrona in Blekinge, it was a brutal awakening. Now there is talk about the protection of the rather forgotten infrastructure on the seabed. All electricity and internet cables, gas and oil pipelines that today lack relevant protection against military attacks or sabotage. Regardless of who is behind the sabotage on Nord Stream, the risk of attacks is no longer hypothetical. Seabed new arena for politics and warfare Germany is now investing heavily in underwater capabilities. Denmark thinks along similar lines. Sweden is also preparing for the future where the seabed is the new arena for politics and warfare. Under the surface, the submarines can act invisible even to satellites and spy planes. – Not being prepared is doing us a disservice. Actually, it’s about the more prepared we are, the more we raise the threshold for those who wish us harm. Because it will cost too much, says Fredrik Lindén, head of the submarine flotilla in Karlskrona. It is said that the submarines with their sharp-loaded torpedoes on board are the only weapon Sweden has, which Russia seriously fears and continuously trains to combat. The war of aggression in Ukraine notwithstanding. -There is no submarine weapon that does not have well-trained personnel. This applies to everyone in the Baltic Sea, says Lindén. At the same time, the war in Ukraine and the explosion of the gas pipelines Nordstream 1 and 2 have shown that the Swedish submarine weapon lacks an increasingly important capability. Seabed warfare operations require a new type of submarine that can operate below the surface in several ways. Just a few hundred meters from the home port of the Swedish submarines is the shipyard where the submarines of the future are built at SAAB Kockums. Two new submarines in the so-called Blekinge class are being built here. According to some sources, they can be under the surface for as long as 50 days. Equipped with an additional pipe or underwater lock. Through that pipe, both manned and unmanned craft can be sent out. – This is an evolution of submarines. The very most modern submarine that exists, says design manager Mats Abrahamsson when we are let into their top-secret shipyard. The new submarines in the Blekinge class will begin to be delivered in 2027 to the Swedish Armed Forces. It’s impressive engineering that also comes at a cost. These are investments in the hundreds of billions. It is also the largest investment in SAAB’s history. The hope is still to be able to use the ground-breaking technology for other customers. There are already far-reaching business plans with the Dutch Navy and a NATO entry could open the door to more submarine customers in the future. Everything in the shipyard is designed for larger production, larger orders. – First of all, I look forward to delivery of the first submarine in 2027 to our customer the Swedish Armed Forces. But I also look forward to the technological development that is taking place right now. Where you can collaborate manned, unmanned, under the surface and on the surface at the same time. It will be incredibly exciting to follow that development, says Fredric Gustafson, marketing manager at SAAB Kockum Naval. See more about the fascinating submarine build in the player above
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