Poland has chosen Sweden to build new submarines to boost its navy’s capabilities amid fears of Russian threats, its defence minister announced Wednesday.
The deal is part of Poland’s “Orka” (Orca) initiative, which aims to replace its Navy’s sole outdated Soviet-era submarine with three brand-new, higher-tech models.
“The Swedish offer is the only one that has met all the expectations of the navy,” Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters.
The decision “builds a new security infrastructure in the Baltic Sea”, he added.
Poland’s sole, Soviet-era submarine has for years required regular repairs. Once withdrawn from service, there would be no vessel in which submariners could train or maintain their skills.
According to the “Orka” plan, the first ship must be delivered by 2030.
“Poland and Sweden share a deep common understanding regarding the challenges for European security,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X.
The two countries will now be “significantly deepening (their) political, defence, and industrial cooperation”, he added.
The Swedish offer included A-26 Blekinge-class units, currently being built by the defence and security company Saab.
It also provided a plan to maintain the skills of Polish sailors in case the only operational Polish submarine was before the new units had been completed.
Saab President Micael Johansson told the PAP news agency in October that the Swedish-designed submarine was naturally suited for the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea, while still capable of operating in deep seas and oceans.
The vessels can launch both heavy and light torpedoes and lay naval mines.
Although Saab praised Poland’s selection of Sweden, the company stated on Wednesday in a press release that it has as of yet “not signed any contract nor received any order.”
Poland, which borders both Russia and war-torn Ukraine, has greatly increased its defence capacities since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
In 2026, the country’s defence spending will reach 4.8 percent of its GDP, the highest amount in NATO in relative terms.
Before choosing Sweden, Poland had considered five other countries — France, South Korea, Spain, Germany and Italy — as potential partners for the procurement deal.
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