The Norwegian Navy decided that it wanted to buy six new frigates from Spain's Bazan shipyard without even seeking a bid from Germany's Blohm & Voss. The Spanish design uses the US-designed AN-SPY1F lightweight aegis radar system. The German frigate has been offered with two choices of radar, the Dutch Signaal SEWACO combat system or the APAR phased-array radar. General Sigurd Fisvold, Chief of the Norwegian Defense Staff, rejected the idea, and demanded that the Navy provide him with information about the radars the Germans are offering.--Stephen V Cole