Altair-class training ship

For United States destroyer tender, see Altair-class destroyer tender.

Altair-class

Altair outside of Ornö, 2015
Class overview
Builders	Swede Ship Marine
Operators	Swedish Navy
Cost	SEK 26 million (2008)
Built	2007–2009
In commission	2008–present
Planned	6 vessels
Completed	5 vessels
General characteristics
Type	Training ship
Displacement	85.0 tonnes (13,390 st)
Length	25.9 metres (85 ft 0 in)
Beam	6.0 metres (19 ft 8 in)
Draft	1.4 metres (4 ft 7 in)
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Complement	10 seamen

The Altair-class is a series of training ships in use by the Swedish Navy.

History

In the early 2000s, after the ageing fleet of outdated World War II-era minesweepers used as training ships could no longer meet safety requirements for operation, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration sought an existing ship class to commission. However, strict requirements made this unfeasible.

As a result, a new project was launched in 2004 to domestically design a vessel that could meet all the criteria put forward. This decision ultimately proved to deliver not only more suitable ships but also greater cost-effectiveness. Despite this, the original plan to acquire six ships of the class proved too costly, and only five ships could be commissioned within the available budget.

Construction of the vessels began shortly thereafter, with deliveries taking place between 2007 and 2009.

Etymology

The ships of the class were first named in 2009 through a collective agreement by the then Chief of Defence, Håkan Syrén, the Chief of Navy, Anders Grenstad, and the Chief of Materiel, Leif Nylander. The names adopted were the last five names of the earlier naming convention of the Swedish Plejad-class torpedo boats, in which all vessels are named after well-known stars and constellations.

Cabin of Astrea

Design

Although designed, built, and primarily used as training ships, the class is multifunctional and can assume combat roles if required. Each vessel is capable of being modified into a sonobuoy platform, similar to HSwMS Ejdern, for use in anti-submarine warfare. Additionally, a heavy machine gun can be fitted as part of the original design.

As training ships, the aluminium hulls of the Altair-class vessels are relatively small compared to those of regular warships, measuring 25.9 metres (85 ft 0 in) in length with a beam of 6.0 metres (19 ft 8 in), and displacing a maximum of 85.0 tonnes (13,390 st) of water, resulting in a draught of approximately 1.4 metres (4 ft 7 in). All in all, the expected service life of these vessels is approximately 25 years.

For propulsion, the vessels are fitted with two 930 kilowatts (1,250 hp) MTU diesel engines, providing a combined output of 1,860 kilowatts (2,490 hp) and enabling a maximum speed of approximately 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph).

Complementing the ships, the design allows for 10 personnel to work on each vessel simultaneously, with six students in training and four officers and enlisted crew members on board.

Units

Pennant number	Ship name	Delivered	Status
A501	Altair	12 May 2008	Active
A502	Antares	22 September 2008	Active
A503	Arcturus	5 December 2008	Active
A504	Argo	13 February 2009	Active
A505	Astrea	7 May 2009	Active

References

• Petersson, Ulf (2008). "Egenutvecklade skolfartyg bästa lösningen" (PDF). Protec (in Swedish) (3): 10–11. 0346-9611. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-13.
• Sannerman, Carola (2008-09-29). "Skoldivisionens nya profil". forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-08-03.
• Ivansson, Hans (2009-02-17). "Nya skolfartyg till marinen". fmv.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
• Försvarsmakten (2021-02-11). "Skolfartyg Altair". forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-08-02.
• Östhammar (2023-04-21). "Sjöstridsskolan gästar Öregrund". osthammar.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-08-03.