Third Skjold-class FPB Delivered to Norway

On the 30th of June 2011, DCNS delivered the third-of-class fast patrol boat, P963-Steil, to the Royal Norwegian Navy. The six-boat Skjold programme is led by a consortium comprising DCNS and two Norwegian contractors with DCNS acting as the combat system design authority and co-supplier.

The Norwegian authorities entrusted the Skjold programme to a consortium of three contractors with DCNS as the combat system design authority and co-supplier. DCNS is working with Norwegian contractors Umoe Mandal and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

Skjold FPBs are designed specifically for maritime security & safety missions in Norway’s littoral waters. The combat system is tailored to demanding environments and reduced crewing. The state-of-the-art communications and sensor suites are fully compatible with active participation in international and NATO-led operations. With a length of around 50 metres, Skjold-class FPBs are heavily armed for their size. The combat system features eight anti-ship missiles and a 76 mm gun that can engage several targets at once at ranges exceeding 12 kilometres.

P963-Steil’s combat system was accepted following a final campaign main gun firing tests off Bergen and sea trials in Stavanger in June 2011.

First-of-class P961-Storm was handed over on 9 September 2010 and second-of-class P962-Skudd on 28 October 2010.

The success of the Skjold programme is the fruit of a long-term partnership between DCNS and its Norwegian partners. Between 1997 and 2004, DCNS demonstrated its expertise in combat system design and development as prime contractor for the modernisation of 14 Hauk-class FPBs for the Royal Norwegian Navy.