Under an agreement scheduled to be signed in the Baltic port city of Gdynia on June 29, Poland will purchase three Swedish A26 Blekinge-class submarines, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said, News.Az reports, citing Polskie Radio.
He described the agreement as “a contract awaited for 30 years,” which, according to him, had been promised by all of his predecessors.
Speaking at a press conference in Madrid, Kosiniak-Kamysz said the signing would formalize commitments not only between the two governments but also between the companies involved.
“On June 29, in Gdynia, we will sign the deal—not only between the governments, but also between companies, on fulfilling obligations to Poland: delivering three submarines, a vessel for the transitional period—a gap filler—crew training, and also the sale of our vessels, such as the Ratownik-type ship, to the Swedish navy,” he said.
Sweden was selected last year as Poland’s partner under the Orka submarine acquisition program, outperforming competing offers from Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and South Korea.
The contract includes three submarines to be built by Saab-Kockums. The first delivery to Poland is expected by 2030, although the program has experienced delays, as Sweden’s own first A26 submarines are not expected to enter service until 2027–2028.
Under the arrangement, Poland will also receive a gap-filler vessel—an A17-class submarine—next year to bridge the capability gap until the new submarines are delivered.
This gap is considered significant, as Poland currently has only one operational submarine, ORP Orzeł, built in the Soviet Union in 1985 and requiring repeated repairs in recent years.
Its possible decommissioning would leave Polish submariners without a vessel for training or maintaining operational readiness.
The A26 submarines are designed with a modular structure, diesel-electric propulsion, and an air-independent propulsion system that allows extended underwater endurance.
Their armament includes 533mm torpedo tubes and a payload bay capable of deploying unmanned underwater vehicles or covertly inserting special operations forces.
Kosiniak-Kamysz discussed the agreement last week with Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels.