Sweden has been in the submarine business since the 1900s, first by ordering boats from Italian concerns and then moving into their own domestic designs. Today, Saab is a powerhouse that has marketed its Baltic-made boats with varying degrees of success (see= Australia). However, they are now teaming up with Dutch shipbuilder Damen with an offer to build submarines for the Royal Netherlands Navy, to replace their current Walrus class through a Pan-European Defence Project.
Saab plans to offer modular conventional AIP-equipped submarines that address three market segments: Pelagic, Oceanic and Oceanic Extended Range (ER)– the latter an “Expeditionary Submarine” capable of staying at sea for long patrols.
It looks like the Germans could be increasingly on the ropes if the Damen/Saab joint venture takes off.