HMS Södermanland is a Swedish naval submarine that was launched in 1988. On behalf of the Swedish Armed Forces, FMV has signed an overhaul agreement that includes going through existing equipment to ensure the submarine’s operational availability and making necessary modifications to meet changed requirements. In this article, we will highlight the importance of extensive upgrades that will keep the submarine’s capabilities for years to come.
Image from: Första Ubåtsflottiljen
What do we know about HMS Södermanland?
HMS Södermanland is the third ship of the Västergötland-class submarine and was named after Södermanland, Sweden in 1988. Since then, this submarine has been under life extension one time in 2000. Through the extension, the submarine was lengthened by 12 meters and fitted with an air-independent Stirling engine which increase efficiency most significantly in order to operate in international warm and salty underwater for several weeks.
After 12 years, FMV has signed the second agreement with Saab Kockums AB in Muskö, outside Stockholm, to upgrade the submarine HMS Södermanland within the framework of continued operation. This extension will be the submarine’s second life extension which according to an article from FMV, “includes a number of modifications aimed at technically maintaining the submarine’s capacity, service life and availability”. The goal is to ensure the maintenance of HMS Södermanland’s capabilities for another six years.
According to the agreement, the lifetime extension is carried out in parallel with the general overhaul, which is 72 months of maintenance.
What has to be considered in this life extension?
The life extension strategy has been developed with both technical and management support expertise to ensure that it will deliver a safe, capable, available, and maintainable platform for the duration of the extension period.
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