Huitfeldt class and Absalon class share common hull with same propulsion and basic systems, and many components. This means development costs are lower and spread over more hulls.
Navy | krigsmakten
Huitfeldt class: The cost for all three frigates fitted with sensors and weapons (save Standard SM-2 air defence missiles) is given as 4.7 billion Kroner (Cdn $1B or about $333M per ship).
4,700,000,000.00 DKK = 629,707,319.38 EUR = 697,876,215.25 USD
About 210 million Euro or 233 million USD per ship (no helicopter)
Absalon class: Prices as low as 1.256 billion Kroner (Cdn $263M) have been quoted. The actual cost for the entire
Absalon class program,
completely equipped, is quoted as 2.7B Kroner (Cdn $565M).
2,700,000,000.00 DKK = 361,744,515.81 EUR = 401,091,699.05 USD
About 186 million Euro or 200 million USD per ship (no helicopter)
BY COMPARISON
The first three were built at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, China, while the last ship was constructed in Pakistan by Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) and was completed in 2013. The $750 million contract also includes 4-6 Harbin Z-9EC anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters as well as ammunition for the frigates.
F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Which boils down to $188 million USD per ship, including at least 1 helicopter and ammunitions.
As we are aware, Pakistan may very well be getting these for friendship prices, which China has used in the past e.g. vis-a-vis Thailand. But still, seeing as how different these ships are in terms of capability, it can't be that they cost about the same.
Comparison from
Danish Naval Projects - Patrol Frigate - Iver Huitfeld Class - Patrol Ship - Projekt Patruljeskib - NATO Comparisons - CASR - Canadian American Strategic Review - Danish Ships - Standard Flex - Frigate Project - Absalon Class - SCSC - Single Class - Surface Combatant - Type 124 - FREMM - F100 Frigate - De Zeven Provinciën - Shipbuilding - Canadian Forces - DND
Unit costs for naval vessels (especially when averaged) are notoriously unreliable – there are simply too many variables and accounting practices. With that caveat in mind, the following are rough unit prices for the frigates mentioned in the text and the Single Class Surface Combatant.
• Danish – 1.5B Kr = $333M Cdn (Project
Patruljeskibe)
= 3 ships + 2 flexible support ships
• FREMM – 280M € = $447M Cdn (French version, diesel powered)
= ? units (initially 17 units, currently 8) 328 to 437 to 795 per unit. Almost 900 with development cost. EUROS
• FREMM – 350M € = $600M Cdn (Italian version, turbine powered) =
10 units, last 2 at 764 million euro =390 each
• Dutch – 400M € = $639M Cdn (
De Zeven Provinciën class) =
4 units
(or up to – 450M € = $719M Cdn quotes vary according to source)
• Spanish – 400M € = $639M Cdn (F100/
Nansen class, prices vary)
F100 (7-2=5, last one costing 800m+ euro. See 3 ship Hobart class Australia) and Nansen are very different ships (3.33billion USD for 5 ships > 666m USD)
• Typ 125 – 550M € = $878M Cdn (projected German
Fregatte Klasse F125)
4 ships
• FREMM – 550M € = $879M Cdn (projected air defence version)
see above
• Typ 124 – 700M € = $1.12B Cdn (German
Sachsen class air defence frigate)
3 ships
In view of this, I find the price quited for the Danish ships unbelievably low.
A top of the line but not very big frigate is the LaFayette based Formidable class obtained by Singapore (6 ships)
Naval Analyses: Formidable class frigates of the Republic of Singapore Navy
According to Sipri.org : $750 m deal (part of $1.6 b 'Project Delta'); incl 5 produced in Singapore; ordered 2000, delivered 2007-2009. That would be $1,032,3m in 2015 > $172m per ship. Still seems on the low side if you ask me.
Consider the "DW 3000F " for Thailand
"Following a contract with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) for a 3,700-ton frigate, the Royal Thai Navy plans to procure one more frigate built by the South Korean shipyard, according to officials. The contract for the first frigate was signed in August. The deal was valued around $470 million, the highest weapons import for a single item in Thailand."
South Korea Sees More Weapons Sales to Thailand | Chiang Rai Times English Language Newspaper
Incheon FFX / HDF-3000 type Frigate:Each FFX Batch I frigate is said to cost around WON 250 billion ($232 million).
FFK Ulsan class Frigate Korea (FFK)
Batch 2 ships (units 4 to 6-12) are larger and more expensive :
USD 305.8 million.
Korean Navy Orders Another Frigate from DSME | Naval Today
The South Korean products above aside, relevant Navantia products could be :
- Fragatas Ligeras/Corbetas
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