A26 submarine A26 is the project name of the next generation of submarines developed by Kockums for the Swedish navy . First planned at the beginning of the 1990s , the project was called " " U - båt 2000 " " and was intended to be ready by the late 1990s or early 2000 . With the end of the Cold War the naval threat from the Soviet Union disappeared and the new submarine class was deemed unnecessary . The project lay dormant for years until the mid - 2000s when the need for a replacement for the Södermanland class submarine s became apparent . Originally the Scandinavian countries had intended to collaborate on the Viking class submarine , but Denmark ' s withdrawal from submarine operations meant that Kockums proceeded on their own . Features . The new submarine project is intended to be an improved version of the Gotland class submarine , which will be considered obsolete around 2015 – 2017 according to Per Skantz , development co - ordinator at the Marine headquarters in Stockholm . The submarine will displace 1 , 900 tonnes and have a crew complement of between 17 and 31 men . The 2008 – 2010 military budget memorandum to the Minister for Defence by the Supreme Commander Håkan Syrén would require the type to cost no more than the current Gotland class ( about 1 . 5 billion SEK ) . The new submarine will have blue water capability , something earlier Swedish submarines have lacked . It will be equipped with modified AIP stirling propulsion and GHOST ( Genuine HOlistic STealth ) technology , making the submarine extremely quiet . It will also be designed to withstand significant shock loads from underwater explosions and will be able to " Launch and recover vehicles " through its torpedo tubes . The submarine ' s sail will largely be composed of the same material that was used when constructing the Visby stealth corvette . Orders . On 25 February 2010 Kockums AB signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration ( FMV ) concerning the overall design phase of the next - generation submarine . Kockums CEO , Ola Alfredsson , stated that " This is an important first step , not only for Kockums , but for the Swedish Armed Forces as a whole . We shall now be able to maintain our position at the cutting edge of submarine technology , which is vital in the light of current threat scenarios . " The Norwegian Navy has shown interest in the project and may buy several submarines in the future . According to Kockums AB orders must be made by the end of 2010 . On 11 April 2010 the Swedish Defence minister Sten Tolgfors announced plans to acquire two new submarines to be commissioned in 2018 - 19 replacing the two submarines of the Södermanlands class . The plans also included a Mid - Life Upgrade program of two submarines of the Gotland class . Additional submarines could later be ordered to replace the Gotland class , however this will not be decided before 2020 . On 16 June 2010 , the Swedish Parliament authorised the government to procure two new submarines . Kockums states that construction of two A26 submarines will generate about 170 jobs . The first submarine was planned to be laid down by the end of 2012 , but as of 2013 no submarines have yet been ordered . In September 2013 it was announced that the project had been delayed becouse of construction issues and the first submarine would not be ready before 2020 .