HMS Orion serves as a SIGINT vessel with the Swedish Armed Forces.

13:38 GMT, November 19, 2009 Kockums has received an order from the Swedish Defence Matériel Administration (FMV) and the Karlskrona Naval Base, concerning a service life extension of HMS Orion. A signal intelligence (SIGINT) vessel, HMS Orion operates mainly in the Baltic. She was built at the Karlskrona shipyard in the early 1980s.

Work on the vessel will begin in dry dock, after which she will be moved to the Shiplift and taken into Skrovhallen (the Hull Construction Hall), where most of the work will be done. The vessel is scheduled to be returned to service with the Swedish Navy during the spring of 2010. This life extension project involves a fair amount of work, to be completed in a tight timeframe, and will require intense commitment to make the deadline.

HMS Orion features some of the most highly classified equipment fielded by the Swedish Armed Forces. The large cylinder located above the deckhouse contains advanced antennas that, in conjunction with powerful computers, enable the vessel to pick up and monitor signals over a wide area.

Plans are already in the pipeline for an eventual replacement for HMS Orion, with start-up on the project planned for the near future. Until the new vessel is ready, however, HMS Orion will remain in service as part of Sweden’s surveillance force. Thomas Johansson is Project Manager.