Week 48 was marked by major defence procurement contracts, deepened Nordic defence cooperation, and important political decisions on NATO integration and intelligence legislation. Here are the most important defence news stories from the Nordic region and Europe this week.

Domains

Naval

  • Poland selects Swedish A26 submarines: Poland has announced that it is selecting Sweden as its partner for the submarine programme ORKA and intends to procure three A26 submarines from Saab Kockums. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed the decision and described it as a demonstration of Sweden's strength as a defence industrial nation. An intergovernmental agreement is to be signed before the end of this year. Read more

Air

  • Sweden invests 3.5 billion SEK in brigade-level air defence: The government announced investments totalling 3.5 billion SEK to strengthen the Swedish Armed Forces' (Försvarsmakten) short-range air defence capabilities, including fire unit 98 (IRIS-T SLS), modern radar systems, and command solutions. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has signed a contract worth 2 billion SEK with Saab for command and sensor systems. The announcement was made at the Air Defence Regiment in Halmstad (southwestern Sweden). Read more
  • FMV orders drone demonstrators from GKN: The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has signed a contract worth approximately 150 million SEK with GKN Aerospace to develop a turbojet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle. The programme will test new production techniques and working methods, with the aim of strengthening Sweden's long-term supply security. The project is to progress from concept to production within 18 months. Read more
  • Swedish Air Force joins Tactical Leadership Programme: Sweden has formally joined the Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) at the facility in Albacete, Spain. From 1 January 2026, Swedish pilots, intelligence personnel, and air battle managers will have full access to the programme, strengthening integration within NATO. Read more

Land

  • Norway purchases amphibious bridging equipment from GDELS: The Norwegian Army (Hæren) is to be equipped with new amphibious bridges following a contract worth 1.2 billion Norwegian kroner signed by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (Forsvarsmateriell) with General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS). The contract covers the latest generation of the wheeled amphibious vehicle M3, with deliveries planned from autumn 2026 to 2028. Read more
  • FMV orders additional TGB24 vehicles from Finnish Sisu: The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) is expanding its order of the Terrain Vehicle 24 (TGB24), model 300 Sisu GTP, under the joint Swedish-Finnish framework agreement. The contracts are valued at approximately 2 billion SEK and cover more than 600 vehicles, with deliveries scheduled for 2026 to 2028. Read more
  • Norwegians win European sniper competition: A Norwegian sniper team from the Armoured Battalion (Panserbataljonen) took first place in the European Best Sniper Team Competition 2025 at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany, scoring 463 points. A total of 35 teams from 22 nations participated, including teams from Denmark and Finland. Read more

Policy & Strategy

  • Sweden's war delegation conducted exercise: The Swedish Parliament's war delegation (Riksdagens krigsdelegation) convened on 28 November for an exercise linked to a larger national leadership exercise in which the government, the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten), the Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MSB), the royal household, and members of parliament participated. Speaker of the Parliament Andreas Norlén emphasised the importance of ensuring that democratic processes function even in crisis situations. Read more
  • Finland seeks expanded intelligence powers for its defence forces: The Finnish Ministry of Defence has submitted a legislative proposal to revise the law on military intelligence activities for consultation. The proposal includes the possibility of collecting and disrupting information from data systems that pose a threat to national security. Read more
  • Finland seeks to host NATO command systems unit: Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen announced that Finland is proposing to host NATO's command systems unit in the country. The unit would consist of approximately 50 Finnish soldiers and would strengthen NATO's capabilities in northern Europe. A decision is expected at the NATO defence ministers' meeting. Read more
  • Parliamentary working group to review Finland's defence: Finland has established a parliamentary working group that will begin its work on 27 November 2025 and operate until 30 June 2026. The group will analyse threats and challenges, and align defence expenditure and personnel with NATO requirements. Read more
  • Finnish Defence Forces release data and AI strategy: A new strategy is to guide the Finnish Defence Forces (Puolustusvoimat) towards a more data-driven approach and strengthen the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in areas including command, information exchange, and automation. Major General Sami Nurmi emphasised that data is now a central resource, not merely a tool. Read more
  • Janne Kuusela appointed new Permanent Secretary at Finland's Ministry of Defence: The Finnish government has appointed Janne Kuusela as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence with effect from 1 January 2026, succeeding Esa Pulkkinen. Kuusela has worked at the ministry since 1999 and has led the defence policy department since 2022. Read more

Industry

  • Norway and Ukraine establish joint drone production: The defence ministers of Norway and Ukraine have signed a letter of intent to establish Ukrainian drone production in Norway under the Build with Ukraine initiative. A pilot production line is planned to be operational by 2026, and the finished materiel will be donated to Ukraine. The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) is involved in the project. Read more
  • Norway reallocates 10.9 billion NOK of Ukraine support: The Norwegian government is proposing that approximately 10.9 billion Norwegian kroner be reallocated from direct support to the Ukrainian defence industry to contributions via international financing mechanisms, in order to avoid disruptions to deliveries of military equipment to Ukraine during 2025. Read more
  • Denmark leads EU agreement on simplified rules for defence materiel: Under the Danish EU Presidency, EU member states have agreed on a regulatory package intended to reduce bureaucratic obstacles for the defence industry and accelerate Europe's military build-up. The proposal will now be subject to further negotiations with the European Parliament. Read more
  • FOI: Europe's defence industry remains fragmented: In the report Defence Industrial Outlook 2025, commissioned by the Swedish Ministry of Defence, the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI, Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut) concludes that Europe's defence industry remains fragmented and characterised by national preferences, despite increased rearmament. The United States is described as having the world's most sophisticated defence industry, while China is rapidly closing the capability gap. Read more

That concludes the defence news for week 48, 2025. Follow us for continued coverage of Nordic and European defence developments.