UK Plans to Buy Three Mine-Countermeasure Motherships From Norway

The United Kingdom plans to purchase three mine-countermeasure motherships from Norway for deploying autonomous mine-countermeasure systems.

Key details

• The UK will join Norway’s P1118 Standardized Vessel Program.
• The reported allocation for the purchase is £90 million.
• The agreement gives the UK an option to order up to three more vessels.
• The first vessel is expected to arrive in 2031.
• The vessels belong to the P1118 design family, the same design family as Norway’s naval variant.

The UK has an option to order up to three additional vessels.

Why it matters

The vessels will serve as platforms for autonomous systems used in mine-countermeasure operations. The program brings the UK into a vessel design family that Norway also uses for a naval variant.