Name Orion Identification A201 Displacement 1,400 tons Length 61 m Beam 12 m | Status In active service Launched June 1984 Weight 1,422 tons Builder Kockums Naval Solutions | |
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Class and type Signals Intelligence Gathering vessel | ||
HSwMS Orion (A201) is a signals intelligence gathering vessel in the Swedish Navy.
HSwMS Orion was first launched in 1984. She was built with extensive support from the United States National Security Agency. In November 1985, the HSwMS Orion was rammed by a Soviet minesweeper after she got too close to a Soviet naval exercise. In 1998 Orion received a false bomb threat, which was widely covered in the Swedish newspapers. The ship is manned by Swedish Navy officers and sailors, as well as personnel from the National Defence Radio Establishment (FRA). HSwMS Orion belongs to the 1st Submarine division. Orion shares a hull design with the Fiskeriverkets vessel Argos, an official fishing control vessel.
Replacement
On 22 April 2010 the government of Sweden approved the acquisition of a new ship to replace HSwMS Orion since it no longer meets current sea safety rules.