Poland Weighs Six Foreign Bids for New Submarines

Poland is evaluating six international offers to supply a new class of submarines, Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed on September 24 during a defense conference in Warsaw.

“We have six offers for the purchase of submarines – from Italy, Spain, France, Germany-Norway, Sweden, and Korea. Now, the final decision remains to be made at the Council of Ministers level regarding the selection of a partner country,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told delegates at the Polish Navy Capabilities and Critical Infrastructure Protection in the Baltic Sea conference.

The procurement will be carried out under the Orka program, which plans to introduce up to four conventionally powered, diesel-electric submarines for the Polish Navy. The acquisition is considered urgent as Poland currently relies on a single outdated submarine, the Soviet-designed ORP Orzeł, while its Norwegian-built Kobben-class boats were retired in 2021.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier stated that the submarine contract will be awarded before the end of the year, with deliveries expected to begin later in the decade.

The six likely offers are:

• Hanwha Ocean (South Korea): KSS-III Batch-2 submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP) and lithium-ion batteries, featuring endurance of more than 20 days submerged. Hanwha has also signed cooperation agreements with Polish shipyards for maintenance and technology transfer.
• Saab (Sweden): A26 Blekinge-class, optimized for Baltic operations, with Stirling AIP and a Multi-Mission Portal for unmanned systems. Saab has ongoing industrial ties in Poland but faces delays in its own naval program.
• Fincantieri (Italy): U212 Near Future Submarine, a derivative of the U212A, offered with industrial cooperation and a submarine support center in Poland. Delivery timelines may be affected by Italy’s own fleet requirements.
• Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (Germany): Type 212CD submarines, developed with Norway, designed for NATO interoperability. TKMS has heavy order commitments, with the first boats for Norway scheduled for 2029.
• Naval Group (France): Scorpène-class submarines, equipped with options for long-range MBDA Naval Cruise Missiles. The French bid includes technology transfer but faces cost and production capacity challenges.
• Navantia (Spain): S-80 Plus class submarines, with AIP systems and advanced combat suites, are also being proposed, though details of industrial cooperation remain limited.

The Orka program requires submarines that can remain autonomous for at least 30 days, dive below 200 meters, and carry heavyweight torpedoes and missiles for both sea and land targets.