According to Business Insider, Norway is preparing to spend billions of dollars to modernize its navy in response to what is described as a perceived Russian threat.

The report notes that Oslo and London have signed their largest contract to date for the purchase of Type 26 frigates. These ships are designed specifically to detect and counter hostile submarines. British officials stated that the new vessels will strengthen NATO’s presence in Northern Europe amid rising tensions with Russia.

The publication highlighted that Russian submarines heading from the Murmansk region into the North Atlantic must pass through neutral waters north of Norway. This geographic reality, it said, makes Norway a pivotal player in operations aimed at monitoring and countering the Russian submarine fleet.

Observers added that the acquisition of Type 26 frigates will allow the Royal Norwegian Navy to patrol its territorial waters more effectively, as well as specific areas of the North Atlantic critical to NATO’s infrastructure security.