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Corvette Visby with a claw a year later. HMS Härnösand headed for Sea Ceptor
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
One year after the signing of the contract for the reinforcement of Swedish Visby-type corvette, the program enters the shipbuilding phase. HMS corvette was the first to be upgraded Härnösand. The ship will go to Karlskrona, where it will receive MBDA Sea Ceptor missile anti-aircraft kits with CAMM missiles.
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From announcements to real action
Last May year we wrote on the reinforcement of five Swedish Visby-type corvettes in the Sea Ceptor system. It was then a contract decision and a announcement of a major change in the capabilities of Swedish vessels Svenska marinan. Now the announcement goes to the shipbuilding stage.
The confirmation is a statement by the Swedish Armed Forces dated July 3. It indicates that the HMS Corvette Härnösand She left Berg's war port and set off for Karlskrona. In its shipyard, it is expected to undergo modernization and reinforcement of the MBDA Sea Ceptor missile anti-aircraft kits, which will strengthen anti-aircraft defence and anti-missile defense of Visby-type ships.
This is an important moment for the Swedish fleet. Visby Corvette class ships have been considered to be one of the most distinctive for years ships in the Baltic. They have low detection, a compact figure, a composite hull and weapons selected to operate in coastal waters. However, they lacked a rocket anti-aircraft kit that would give real reinforcement of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense.
Sea Ceptor closes the old gap
To date, 57 mm of BAE Systems Bofors Mk 3 automatic cannon with programmable ammunition with forced 3P fragmentation has been performed by the defense against air targets on Visby corvettes. It's a valuable short-range weaponry, but it doesn't replace a rocket anti-aircraft kit.
Modernization is supposed to change that. The ships will receive MBDA Sea Ceptor missile anti-aircraft kits with CAMM missiles that will strengthen anti-aircraft defense and Visby-type anti-missile corvette. The system will allow air targets to be combated at greater distances and will increase the area that the ship can cover.
In industry comments, based on published graphics, there is a configuration with three Lockheed Martin ExLS modules, each with three launch chambers. With four CAMM missiles in one chamber, that would give a total of 36 missiles per ship. However, as this is not explicitly confirmed in the Swedish Armed Forces Communication, this information is worth considering as an assessment on the basis of available materials rather than an official modernization parameter.
The Swedes emphasize that anti-aircraft capability was already present in the Visby concept at the design stage, but was not fully realised for years. Now they return to the original assumption. Not by building new corvettes, but by upgrading ships in service.
Small corvette, more importance in the Baltic
Visby will not become an anti-aircraft frigate. It is still a corvette about 72 meters long and displacement about 650 tons. However, this does not change the class and basic purpose of the ship.
This is of great importance in the Baltic, because Visby Corvettes are small ships designed to operate in a difficult, heavily observed aquavan. After modernization they will be able to act more effectively both on their own and in ship teams. Sea Ceptor will not make them a frigate, but will clearly increase their combat value.
Modernisation for years, not ad hoc amendment
Works on HMS Härnösand are part of the mid-life modernization program of the Visby Corvette type. The Swedes want to keep these ships in service also after 2040. This means Sea Ceptor is not an addition mounted for a moment, but part of a broader plan to maintain five corvets as valuable warships.
Modernisation includes not only weapons, but also the integration of on-board systems, command and combat. In the case of such small ships, it is harder than it may seem. Each new system marks the location, power, cooling, mass, wiring and impact on the ship's signatures. In Visby, where there has been a lot of attention to low detection from the beginning, these are not secondary matters.
Sweden strengthens the fleet before entering the frigate Luleå
Visby's modernization is one of the elements of the reconstruction of Swedish naval forces. In parallel, Sweden is preparing to acquire new frigates of type Luleå, based on the French FDI project. These will be much larger ships, intended, among others, for air defense and NATO activities.
By the time they enter the service of the Visby-type corvettes, they will remain among the most important submarines of the Swedish Navy. That's why putting them in Sea Ceptor makes sense. It does not solve all fleet problems, but removes one of the most visible gaps.
A year ago, it was written that Visby would get a claw. Today, we can see that this decision goes from contract to shipyard. This is no longer an announcement, but the beginning of a real change in the capabilities of Swedish vessels in the Baltic Sea basin.
