Sweden inks $4b frigate order with French shipbuilder

He said Sweden's order, "strengthens the industrial and technological basis of European defence at a time when Europeans must take greater responsibility for their own security and consolidate NATO's European pillar."

In May, Sweden said it would order the vessels from the French company in a $4 billion deal that will triple its air defence capacity.

The first of the four new frigates, which will be the Swedish Navy's biggest ships, is expected to be delivered in 2030.

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, additional reporting by Michel Rose and Dominique Vidalon in Paris, editing by Terje Solsvik and Barbara Lewis)