Sweden's stealth ships bolster NATO's Baltic defense
An extraordinary ship has joined NATO's Standing Naval Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1). The Swedish Visby-class corvette, designed for stealth, is now part of NATO forces and will guard the Baltic Sea during the Baltic Sentry mission, a response to hostile actions from China and Russia.
Sweden, a formal NATO member since March 2024, actively participates in the Alliance's activities. Evidence of Sweden's commitment includes the swift deployment of a military contingent to Latvia.
A little over a month after the decision was approved by the Swedish parliament, the first Swedish battalion, consisting of approximately 500 soldiers, arrived at the port of Riga. Sweden also decided to support the Baltic Sentry mission, which aims to protect maritime infrastructure from sub-threshold aggression (below the threshold of war) conducted in the Baltic Sea by Russia and China.
The Swedish missile corvette HSwMS Visby (K31) has been delegated to the NATO team patrolling the Baltic Sea. It is the first of five Visby-class vessels commissioned between 2002 and 2015.
Futuristic warship
Today, when most new ships are designed with stealth requirements in mind, the appearance of Swedish ships is not surprising. However, at the beginning of the century, when the Visby corvette entered service, it appeared very futuristic and gained the marketing title "Ghost" (from Genuine HOlistic Stealth technology).
The series of small, stealthy corvettes was developed in Sweden based on earlier experiences, including the participation with the experimental missile boat, the catamaran Smyge.
Visby-class corvettes are 240 feet long and displace 720 tons. Their crew consists of 43 officers and sailors, and the ships can move at high speeds of 40 mph, powered not by propellers but by two water jet engines.
Visby corvette - armament
Despite their small size, the corvettes have strong anti-ship armament. On board are eight RBS15 anti-ship missile launchers (which are also equipped on Polish Orkan class ships), two torpedo launchers, and one 57 mm gun. The ship also has a helicopter landing pad. A helicopter can land on the corvette and be prepared for flight, but it cannot be stationed there due to the lack of a hangar.
The design also anticipated the installation of a short-range air defense system, but ultimately the corvettes did not receive it. This, like the lack of anti-submarine capabilities, limits the range of tasks these vessels can perform.
These limitations will be addressed through the modernization MLU (mid-life upgrade), through which the corvettes will receive, among other things, torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare, as well as vertical launch systems for CAMM/CAMM-ER or RIM-162 ESSM anti-aircraft missiles.
New Lulea-class corvettes
Visby-class corvettes are currently the largest surface units of the Swedish Navy. Sweden, like Poland and Finland, has decided in recent years to increase maritime potential by building larger ships.
For Sweden, after canceling the Visby 2 program, the choice fell on four new, large Lulea-class corvettes. These are to be multi-role corvettes, with hulls 328 feet long and a displacement "much greater" than the Visby-class corvettes. Plans provide for these units to enter service in the upcoming decade.
