WARSAW, Poland — The Polish Ministry of National Defence has shortlisted two offers for the Miecznik (Swordfish) frigate acquisition program, submitted by UK Babcock International with its Arrowhead 140 vessel, and German Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems’ Meko-A300 warship.
“The vessels will begin to be built in 2023, and the first unit is to be ready by June 2028,” the ministry’s Armament Agency, which is responsible for acquisitions of weapons and military gear, said in a statement. “Deliveries of further units are scheduled to take place until 2034.”
Under the program, which is valued at about PLN 8 billion ($2 billion), three new coastal defense frigates are designed to boost Poland’s naval capabilities in the Baltic Sea. The planned procurement is to allow the country’s Navy to replace its two Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, according to the ministry.
The latest announcement indicates that Warsaw has discarded the bid submitted by Spanish Navantia which offered its F-100 frigate.
The next phase of the program will involve negotiations between a consortium formed by the state-run defense group Polish Defence Group (PGZ) and two local shipyards, Remontowa Shipbuilding and PGZ Naval Shipyard, and the two bidders. The Polish consortium is to ensure shipbuilding capacities for the Miecznik program, and the vessels’ technology will be supplied by a selected foreign company.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
