On Thursday, January 22, 2026, the Norwegian Kongsberg Group announced that its subsidiary Kongsberg Maritime had declared its participation in the preliminary phase of the P1118 Standardiserte fartøy (Standardized Vessels) program for the country’s Royal Norwegian Navy (Sjøforsvaret).
Image: Kongsberg Maritime
W 2025 agencja logistyki wojskowej Forsvarsmateriell (znana także pod angielską nazwą NDMA, Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency) Ministerstwa Obrony Królestwa Norwegii ogłosiła krajowy konkurs na projekt i rozwój koncepcji programu nowych okrętów, który obejmie pozyskanie 28 jednostek w dwóch wariantach: 10 w wersji oceanicznej o długości ok. 90 m i 18 w wersji przybrzeżnej o długości ok. 55 m oraz czterech konfiguracjach wyposażenia. Zastąpią one 7 klas różnych mniejszych jednostek, w tym także Straży Wybrzeża (Kystvakten).
“We are participating in the competition with our full product portfolio, including ship design and integrated system solutions for advanced vessels. For us, and for the Norwegian maritime cluster, this represents a unique opportunity we are keen to be part of,” says Per Håvard Siljan Hjukse, Executive Vice President at Kongsberg Maritime.
“We have delivered complete ship designs for more than 1,000 vessels and technology to both civilian and military ships operating in demanding environments over several decades. Among other things, we are currently a key system supplier to the British, Canadian, Australian, and Norwegian Type 26 frigates, providing several of the most critical maritime systems on board. We already have mature solutions for naval and coast guard vessels, including system deliveries to more than 900 military vessels worldwide.“
“We believe this positions us well to develop the next generation of vessels for the Royal Norwegian Navy, and we look forward to offering solutions that combine operational performance, cost efficiency, and technological innovation,” Hjukse adds.
Meanwhile, on October 30, 2025, it was announced that Kongsberg Maritime would be separated from the Kongsberg Group as an independent entity, while Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Kongsberg Discovery would be combined to form a new entity named Kongsberg. The decision was approved yesterday at extraordinary meetings of the companies’ boards. Kongsberg Maritime is scheduled to be listed as an independent company on the Oslo Stock Exchange on April 23, 2026.
Image: Ulstein Verft
On the same day, the Norwegian design bureau HAV Design announced its withdrawal from participation in the P1118 Standardiserte fartøy program. CEO Richard Schofield explained that the decision was strategic in nature and based on the company’s prioritization of its capabilities and its role within the maritime value chain.
Earlier, on December 18, 2025, Ulstein Verft confirmed its participation in the program. It was emphasized that the company’s proposal focuses on functionality, modularity, and standardization for a wide range of missions, from surveillance and logistics to search-and-rescue operations within NATO.
The program forms part of Norway’s broader long-term defense plan and is included in the planning document Future Acquisitions for the Norwegian Defence Sector 2023–2030. The total cost of the program is estimated at 5–7 billion NOK.