Poland’s submarine acquisition program 'Orka’ is in its final negotiation phase, but a new hurdle has appeared. While military analyses are complete, the industrial cooperation agreement with Sweden has not yet been finalized. If no deal is reached within the next three weeks, other partners may be brought into the process.
The Polish Ministry of National Defense plans to purchase three A26 submarines from Swedish company Saab under the 'Orka’ program, with a total estimated cost of over a dozen billion zlotys. On December 7, 2025, the governments of Poland and Sweden signed an intergovernmental memorandum, moving the agreement closer to reality. Now, the negotiations between the Armament Agency and Saab have concluded, and the contract is being reviewed by the General Prosecutor’s Office.
According to 'Rzeczpospolita’, the political deadline for signing the contract – the end of June – is not at risk in this area. However, an agreement on technology transfer and industrial cooperation is still missing. Talks are ongoing at both the industrial and political levels, with the Ministry of State Assets and deputy minister Konrad Gołota leading the negotiations on the Polish side.
Industrial cooperation as the sticking point
Deputy Minister Gołota told 'Rzeczpospolita’ that at the political level, Polish-Swedish cooperation is going excellently. – Now we need to reach an industrial agreement. If the government issues a positive recommendation, the Armament Agency will be able to sign the contract still in June. If the government does not make such a decision by the end of June, then from July talks with another bidder will begin – he stressed.
The newspaper notes that discussions on industrial cooperation may continue until the very last moment. A failure to reach an agreement would come as a major surprise, given the advanced state of the political dialogue.
What happens next?
Under the current plan, deliveries of the new A26 submarines are scheduled to start in 2030 and will be phased over several years. Additionally, as early as 2027, Poland is expected to receive a used A17 submarine, which will serve as a bridging capability. The entire project is of strategic importance for enhancing Poland’s naval deterrence in the Baltic Sea region.
If the Swedish deal falls through, Poland would have to reconsider alternative offers, potentially from other European or non-European shipyards. The competition originally included proposals from Germany, France, and South Korea. The clock is ticking: the next three weeks will determine whether the 'Orka’ program remains on track or enters a new, more complicated phase.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. PAP/Andrzej Jackowski
