Saab reports it is to build a special purpose signals intelligence ship for the Swedish Navy.
The contract for the vessel, which will be constructed by Saab's Kockums business unit, was issued by the Swedish Defense Material Administration and is worth nearly $80.4 million.
"Special Purpose Ships of this kind requires high reliability and availability," Gunnar Wieslander, head of Kockums, said in a press release.
"Saab, and not the least Kockums, has during the years delivered products that live up to these high standards."
Construction of the SIGINT vessel will be conducted between 2017 and 2020, Saab said.
A SIGINT-vessel is mainly used to intercept radio transmitted signals. The Swedish Navy currently uses the HMS Orion for this purpose.
HMS Orion was launched by Kockums into service in 1984.
Fincantieri launches bow of future logistics ship
Washington (UPI) Apr 11 – The bow section of a logistic support ship for the Italian Navy was launched earlier this week in Naples by shipbuilder Fincantieri, the company announced in a press release.
When completed, the Vulcano will feature hospital and healthcare capabilities.
It will also be capable of transporting and transferring to other ships both liquids and dry goods, and conducting at-sea repairs and maintenance work.
Fincantieri said the ship can also be used as an intelligence and electronic warfare platform.
The Vulcano will be about 541 feet long and have a speed of 20 knots.
The bow section launched Monday is to be towed to a new shipyard, where it will be joinedth the vessel's stern
The Vulcano is expected to be delivered to the Italian Navy in 2019.
Xi urges peaceful resolution of N. Korea tensions in Trump call
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has urged Donald Trump to peacefully resolve tensions over North Korea's nuclear programme, as the US president touted the power of a naval "armada" steaming towards the Korean peninsula.
China's foreign ministry said Wednesday the two leaders had spoken by phone, days after Trump sent the aircraft carrier-led strike group to the region in a show of force ahead of a … read more
