Poland and Sweden signed a €4.2 billion ($4.8 billion) arms deal on Monday at a ceremony in the Polish port of Gdynia on the Baltic Sea.
In the deal, Poland’s State Treasury Armaments Agency ordered the purchase of three new submarines from Swedish aerospace and defense contractor Saab.
a monday Press release from Saab Outlining the sale, it said the company would begin delivery of the ships in 2030 and final delivery would take place in 2038.
Companies from France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Spain submitted bids for the contract.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who praised defense cooperation with Sweden when he announced the deal on Christmas Day, posted a photo of himself and his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson shaking hands at the ceremony.
Prime Minister Kristersson wrote, “A strong Polish submarine force strengthens security in our shared Baltic Sea and across NATO. When Sweden and Poland share the most advanced capabilities in the Baltic Sea, our part of the world becomes safer.”
What’s in the Poland-Sweden submarine package?
Saab, one of Europe’s largest defense manufacturers, will supply three A26, or Blekinge-class ships, as well as a weapons package, and training and maintenance package.
Additionally, Saab said it would open maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in Poland to support the deal. These facilities will be operated in cooperation with Polish companies to enhance Polish defense autonomy, Saab said.
Saab said the new A26-class diesel-electric subs, which can stay underwater for several days, are designed to meet the demands of the Baltic Sea and can “operate in complete silence and remain undetected,” emphasizing their stealthy “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.”
Saab CEO Mikael Johansson said the ships will strengthen the strategic partnership between NATO partner countries Sweden and Poland and that they will “play an important role in enhancing security in the Baltic region.”
Currently, Poland has only one submarine, which is an old Russian ship. To bridge the gap between now and 2030, Warsaw’s navy will be given the use of the Swedish submarine HMS Södermanland.
Europe’s NATO member states are desperately trying to make up for lost time in boosting their security amid Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and growing doubts about the US commitment to their security under President Donald Trump.
Edited by: Srinivas Majumdaru
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