WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s defense ministry is reportedly planning to acquire two second-hand Södermanland-class submarines from Sweden as part of its efforts to replace the Polish navy’s outdated Kobben-class boats.
The planned deal was likely discussed with Stockholm during a recent visit to Sweden by Polish Deputy Defence Minister Pawel Wozny, according to the information obtained by local news site Defence24.pl. The acquisition would be related to plans by the Swedish navy to replace its Södermanland-class subs with new vessels, Blekinge-class subs, developed by Saab Kockums.
Last year, the Polish Defence Ministry received three bids to acquire three new subs under its Orka (Orca) program. France’s Naval Group offered its Scorpene-class subs armed with MBDA’s naval cruise missiles (NCM), Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems bid its 212CD-class vessels, and Saab Kockum’s offered its A26-class subs.
Deliveries of those new subs are scheduled to be completed by 2026. The planned contract is estimated to be worth some 10 billion zloty ($2.6 billion), according to data from the defense ministry.
Meanwhile, to preserve its operational capacities in the Baltic Sea, Warsaw has decided to overhaul its Kobben-class subs.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
