WARSAW and MILAN — Saab has finalized a SEK 47 billion ($4.8 billion) contract with the Polish government for the production of three Swedish-made A26 submarines intended to replace the country’s Soviet-era Kilo-class submarines.
The Swedish company announced the long-awaited deal seven months after Poland officially selected Saab’s offer over a multitude of pan-European contenders.
The delivery of the submarines will be carried out in stages. The first delivery will happen in 2031, with all three of the submarines — along with trained crew and integrated equipment — finalized by 2038.
“It is a very large and long-term deal — it will make the Polish Navy one of the strongest in all of NATO. A strong Polish submarine force strengthens security in our shared Baltic Sea and across the alliance,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on X.
He added that “hundreds” of Polish companies are set to become new subcontractors to Saab, with the Linköping-based company investing up to €100 million ($114 million) in Poland.
“We are deeply honoured that Poland has chosen Saab’s submarines to bolster its defence capabilities and strengthen the strategic partnership between our two nations,” Micael Johansson, president and CEO of Saab, said in a statement. “The three A26 submarines meet Poland’s current and future defence requirements and will play a pivotal role in enhancing security in the Baltic Sea region.”
The A26 submarines are equipped with long-range precision strike torpedoes and offer the possibility to also carry submarine-launched missiles to engage targets both at sea and on land, according to Saab’s promotional material.
The company advertises the watercraft as having an “extremely-low” acoustic signature, far lower than the frequency ranges of traditional submarines. The primary armament of Polish A26-class submarines will be 400- and 533-mm “swim-out” torpedoes, but these submarines are also designed for multi-domain operations involving special forces, and will add minelaying capabilities.
“The schedule is correlated with infrastructure tasks and the need for consistency in the technological, operational, and logistical adaptation of the first ship with the two subsequent ships under construction,” the Polish Armament Agency said in a statement. “The delivery dates specified in the agreement are the result of analyses and decisions by the Polish side, allowing for the optimization of the configuration of the acquired submarines, including by placing orders for ship equipment with Long Lead Items, to a degree that does not impact the scoring process for the country to execute the contract.”
Furthermore, under the signed Memorandum of Understanding, Saab and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa will jointly consider establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle responsible for the development and provision of maintenance and repair capabilities and lifecycle modernization for new-type submarines, particularly those acquired by Poland.
But, given the significant delays in the construction of the A26-class submarines for the Swedish Navy, meeting the delivery deadline for the first unit delivery could be a very difficult task — A pair of A26 submarines has been under construction for Svenska Marinen for 11 years. They have yet to be launched. Poland’s MND did not say whether some of the submarines ordered by the country will be vessels surrendered by Sweden, but Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson indicated that is under consideration.
Two other supporting contracts were also signed today.
First, the Armaments Agency and its Swedish equivalent, the FMV, also agreed to a second contract valued at approximately SEK 1.9 billion (over $195 million), covering the leasing of an older A17-class submarine HMS Södermanland as a gap filler until the A26 comes online, including equipment, armament, technical support and training.
The submarine, systematically modernized throughout its lifecycle by the Swedish side, will be delivered in 2027, after the Polish crew completes training supervised by the Royal Swedish Navy. The submarine will serve the Polish Navy under the Polish flag until the first submarine of the new type is commissioned.
Finally, a third agreement, covering Polish-Swedish cooperation for the acquisition of an underwater rescue vessel, was signed today.
The “Ratownik” is a specialized vessel designed primarily to support the rescue operations of submarines, including the A26. The ship will be equipped with advanced rescue systems and technologies enabling the protection of submarine infrastructure — an aspect particularly important in the context of the security of submarine energy and telecommunications infrastructure, submarine cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
