Saab has confirmed a contract has now been signed between Sweden and Poland to build and supply three A26 submarines for the Polish Navy.
The SEK 47 billion (£3.65bn) deal also includes a weapons package and training and support, and will see all three boats delivered to Poland by 2038, as per a Saab press statement.
The Saab statement noted: “Saab’s A26 submarine is designed to meet the demanding operational conditions of the Baltic Sea and engineered specifically to operate in complete silence.”
Under the terms of the deal Saab is also set to establish maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities in Poland “in close collaboration with Polish industry.”
The Swedish firm signed a deal confirming this with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ); Poland’s state-owned defence firm.
As per a PGZ statement, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Swedish Minister of Defence Pål Jonson signed the Orka subs deal yesterday (Monday) at the Polish naval shipyard in Gdynia.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk were also present at the signing.
In a separate deal Poland will lease and operate the Swedish submarine HMS Södermanland as an interim measure; training is set to start in August.
There was also an agreement for cooperation on Poland’s planned acquisition of a submarine rescue vessel.
The deal “establishes the legal and organizational framework for Polish-Swedish cooperation in implementing the Coordinated Tender procedure.”
The Ratownik vessel will be equipped with advanced rescue systems to protect critical underwater infrastructure (CUI) including Baltic Sea energy and telecommunications and power cables and pipelines.
- You can read more details on the Saab website and the PGZ Group website