Poland secures long-awaited submarine agreement with Sweden

Poland will sign a deal later this month to purchase three submarines from Sweden, the country’s defence minister has announced.

Sweden is offering Poland A26 Blekinge-class submarines, which the Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said are well suited for operations in the Baltic Sea, Caliber.Az reports, citing Polish media.

Under the agreement, which will be signed in the Baltic port city of Gdynia on June 29, Poland will acquire three Swedish A26 Blekinge-class submarines, Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

He described the agreement as “a contract awaited for 30 years” that had been promised by all of his predecessors.

Speaking at a press conference in Madrid, Kosiniak-Kamysz said the signing would formalize commitments between both governments and 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, beating offers from Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and South Korea.

The deal covers three submarines built by Saab-Kockums, with the first expected to be delivered to Poland by 2030, although the program has faced delays, as Sweden’s own first A26 vessels are not expected until 2027–2028.

Under the agreement, Poland will also receive a gap-filler vessel—an A17-class submarine—next year to bridge the capability gap until the new submarines arrive.

That gap is considered significant, as Poland’s only operational submarine, ORP Orzeł, was built in the Soviet Union in 1985 and has required repeated repairs in recent years.

Its potential decommissioning would leave Polish submariners without a vessel on which to train or maintain their skills.

The A26 submarines feature a modular design, diesel-electric propulsion, and an air-independent propulsion system that enables extended underwater endurance.

Their armament includes 533mm torpedo tubes and a dock capable of deploying unmanned underwater vehicles or covertly inserting special operations forces.

Kosiniak-Kamysz discussed the deal last week with Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson on the sidelines of a NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels.

By Vafa Guliyeva