Originally the Scandinavian countries had intended to collaborate on the Viking class, but Denmark's withdrawal from submarine operations[citation needed] meant that Kockums proceeded on their own.

As per protocol, the Swedish government repossessed all equipment belonging to Defence Materiel Administration (Sweden), as well as all secret blueprints and images, using an armed escort.

[12] On 25 February 2010 Kockums AB signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) concerning the overall design phase of the next-generation submarine.

According to FMV the new Kockums owner, the German company Thyssen Krupp has refused to allow Sweden to share the cost with any other nation, making the submarine too expensive.

[22][23] As a result, Saab recruited top people from Kockums and issued a press release that the company was seeking employees for its naval division.

[27] During a visit to Kockums facilities on 30 June 2015 the Swedish defence minister, Peter Hultqvist, announced that two submarines will be ordered for a cost of 8.2 billion SEK (US$ 956 million).

[30] The new submarine project was intended to be an improved version of the Gotland class, which will be considered obsolete around 2015–2017 according to Per Skantz, development co-ordinator at the Marine headquarters in Stockholm.

[32] The 2008–2010 military budget memorandum to the Minister for Defence by the Supreme Commander Håkan Syrén would require the type to cost no more than the current Gotland class (about 1.5 billion SEK).

It will be equipped with modified AIP stirling propulsion and GHOST (Genuine HOlistic STealth) technology, making the submarine extremely quiet.

[35] The entire Blekinge-class submarine family has been offered for export equipped with 18 vertical launch cells for Tomahawk cruise missiles.

[42][43] In December 2014 an agreement between Saab and Damen Shipyards was announced to jointly develop, offer and build next-generation submarines (based on the Type 612 design).