 Sweden sends new submarines to Baltic Sea to confront Russia. Sweden will send two new submarines to the Baltic Sea to confront Russia, states Politico. The new 66-metre diesel-electric submarines named Blekinge and Skandne after two Swedish counties and designed to patrol NATO's eastern borders in the Baltic Sea will be launched in 2027 and 2028. These are the first new submarines built by Sweden since the mid-1990s and they will join four older ships in the Scandinavian nation's fleet. The upcoming Swedish launches highlight the submarine fleet renewal in Northern Europe, where the Norwegian Navy recently ordered four new submarines from Germany's Faisenkrupp Marine Systems. The Netherlands has received proposals from Faisenkrupp Marine Systems, Saab, Cochums and France's naval group for the construction of four submarines while Denmark, which got rid of its fleet in 2004, recently suggested that it might abandon the move. According to a report by the Swedish Defence Research Agency, this expansion will partially close the gap with NATO's largest European fleets, which are set to grow slightly this decade. Six new French Barracuda-class submarines are entering service and two more Type-212s will join the existing German fleet of six. By the end of the decade, the UK will have seven astute-class submarines and the Italian Tadaro-class fleet will have eight.