Norway to buy five British warships in deal worth £10bn

Norway has agreed to buy five new British warships in a deal worth £10bn, the Ministry of Defence has announced.

The planned purchase of the Type 26 frigates built in Glasgow comes as the two nations seek to deepen their co-operation in countering Russian operations in the seas along NATO's eastern flank. It is part of a plan for a fleet of at least 13 anti-submarine ships to operate jointly in northern Europe.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the deal "deepens our strategic partnership" with Norway. "With Norway, we will train, operate, deter, and - if necessary - fight together," he said.

There has been increasing focus on the security of undersea cables and other infrastructure as tensions around Russia's war in Ukraine and other ambitions have persisted. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said his country needed the warships as it faces "its most serious security situation since World War Two".

The deal is expected to support 2,000 jobs at BAE Systems in the coming years and 2,000 more in the supply chain. Read more from Sky News:Pro-Western Ukrainian politician shot deadUkrainians warn they're in danger of losing drone arms race Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hailed the economic benefit of the deal as well as the strengthening of national security.

"This government has forged new partnerships across the world to deliver for people at home and the export of our world leading Type 26 frigates to Norway will do exactly that, supporting well-paid jobs up and down the United Kingdom, from apprentices to engineers. "This success is testament to the thousands of people across the country who are not just delivering this next generation capabilities for our armed forces, but also national security for the UK, our Norwegian partners and NATO for years to come." The Type 26 is designed for anti-submarine warfare and high-intensity air defence, according to BAE.

Australia and Canada have already agreed to buy variants of the Type 26 for their navies..