Norway and UK mull joint commando craft purchase

Norway and the UK are considering the joint purchase of up to 30 new coastal vessels under the Joint Commando Craft programme. 

A total of GBP237 million is expected to be allocated to the programme over a seven-year period. 

Ahead of the potential procurement, the two governments issued a joint request for information (RFI) on 17 March to assess the market’s capacity to provide vessels capable of transporting, landing, and extracting personnel and equipment in coastal areas.  

Specifically, they are looking for vessels that are up to 24m in length able to operate independently for several days, improving both militaries' endurance, survivability, and manoeuvrability.  

Those seeking to reply to the RFI will need to do so before 24 April, via the European Mercell portal. 

If acquired, Norway would use the craft for coastal troop movement, as part of its Coastal Fighter Command, while the UK intends to use them for its Commando Force, led by the Royal Marines. 

Both countries are aligned on the need to secure the Arctic and North Atlantic as a NATO priority, and in fulfilling the spirit of the 2025 Norway-UK Lunna House Agreement.  

In total, the RFI details three potential configurations for the vessels. 

In the first proposed configuration, the vessels would be used to support surveillance and will be equipped with weapon systems and sensor capabilities. Five craft are estimated to be required. 

In the second configuration, 20 craft are sought for “surface manoeuvring”, able to host up to 24 crew members and, when removing some of the troops, two “ultra-light ground effect vehicles”. 

The final batch – consisting of five craft – would be delivered with a generic set of features, not designed around any single mission type. The RFI refers to this as being “fitted for but not with” specific capabilities – these could be added later. 

Depending on the specific configuration, at least some of the craft will need to be able to host a range of deployable UAS, including “tethered UAS” to help enhance situational awareness.  

Meanwhile, the ability to host remote weapon systems is highlighted as a requirement; however, it is unclear which configurations this may pertain to.  

Following the closure of the RFI submission deadline, there will be an industry day hosted by the UK Commando Force and Norway’s Coastal Ranger Commando unit, in May, to clarify any questions potential suppliers might have. 

Invitations to the industry day will be sent out via the Mercell procurement platform.