Poland picks Sweden to supply submarines for its navy

Nov 26, 2025 | Business, Defence

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Poland has chosen Sweden as its preferred supplier of new submarines for the Polish navy. It intends to buy three A26 submarines from Swedish manufacturer Saab. The brand-new model, designed in particular for Baltic Sea operations, has not yet gone into service.

“Together, Sweden and Poland will take greater responsibility for security in the Baltic Sea,” said Sweden’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, celebrating the news. “In a time of uncertainty for our entire region, we are now strengthening our part of the world together.”

Seven manufacturers from six countries – Germany, Italy, France, Spain and South Korea, as well as Sweden – bid to be the supplier for Poland’s Orka programme, which aims to modernise the Polish naval fleet.

Poland currently only has one submarine, a 40-year-old Soviet-era vessel that is in need of constant repair.

At a cabinet meeting today, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Sweden had been selected as the preferred supplier. The defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, said that they hoped to conclude an intergovernmental agreement with Sweden on the purchase “within weeks”.

“Sweden presented the best offer according to…an objective analysis of all criteria, including delivery time, price, value, and operational capability, especially in the Baltic Sea basin,” said Kosiniak-Kamysz. “Sweden’s offer was the only one that met all expectations.”

A key requirement was also “acquiring additional skills for the Polish shipbuilding industry”, and here the proposals “from Sweden were the most far-reaching regarding investments in the Polish arms industry, servicing, and repairs”, added the minister, quoted by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

In a statement, Saab confirmed that their “proposal includes cooperation with the Polish industry and knowledge transfer, securing a strategic partnership between Poland and Sweden”.

 

The extent and nature of this partnership have not yet been revealed. But a Polish deputy defence minister, Cezary Tomczyk, claimed that “Sweden will invest hundreds of millions of zloty in the Polish shipbuilding industry.

The overall value of the deal has also not yet been confirmed, with Kosiniak-Kamysz saying it would be finalised after a final agreement is concluded. Saab’s CEO, Micael Johansson, says that the firm is “looking forward to the coming negotiations” over the final terms of the deal.

There is also, as yet, no planned delivery date for Poland’s submarines. However, Sweden’s offer includes giving Polish sailors access from 2027 to more modern training ships in preparation for when the new submarines are ready.

Currently, the Polish navy’s only submarine is the Orzeł. Built in 1986, it is the oldest Kilo-class Soviet submarine still in service anywhere in the world and regularly breaks down.

This week, the Orzeł was meant to take part in celebrations of Poland’s Navy Day on 28 November, but it “suffered a malfunction” that prevented it from leaving port, a navy press officer told news website Interia.

By contrast, Saab calls the A26 Blekinge-class “the world’s most modern submarine”. However, its development has faced repeated delays and cost overruns.

In 2015, the Swedish armed forces ordered two of the vessels, which were initially meant to be delivered between 2022 and 2024. However, that date has continually been pushed back, and delivery is now expected between 2031 and 2033.

The A26 is specifically designed for operations in the Baltic Sea, including protecting critical underwater infrastructure such as cables and pipelines. Its stealth systems are intended to make it very difficult to detect in the shallow Baltic waters.

Speaking to broadcaster TVN, however, Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that the new submarines would be capable of operating in various waters, not just the Baltic.

In recent years, Poland has increasingly oriented itself towards the Baltic region, forming closer economic, energy and military ties with the Baltic and Nordic states.

Last year, Poland and Sweden signed a strategic partnership on defence and economic ties. This year, Stockholm bought €274 million worth of Piorun man-portable air-defence systems from their Polish manufacturer.


Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Saab (press materials)

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