Sweden has finalized formal contracts for Polish submarine crew training and the lease of the interim A17-class boat HMS Södermanland to Poland, paving the way for the future delivery of Saab A26 submarines.
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Swedish Navy have signed formal implementation contracts in the frame of Poland’s Orka submarine program. Building on the agreement for the procurement of three Saab A26 (Blekinge-class) submarines, the new accords finalize the framework for crew training and the lease of the interim submarine HMS Södermanland to the Polish Navy. The announcement was made by the Royal Swedish Navy.
Training for the initial Polish submarine crews is already well underway in Karlskrona by the Royal Swedish Navy’s 1st Submarine Flotilla and the Naval Warfare Centre with FMV support. “The training lasts for 18 months, which is the same training length as for a Swedish submarine crew” the Swedish Navy said its LinkedIn account.
The centerpiece of the interim agreement is the transfer and operation of HMS Södermanland. Originally built as a Västergötland-class boat in the late 1980s, the vessel underwent a comprehensive mid-life upgrade that lengthened her hull and integrated an air-independent Stirling propulsion (AIP) system. By leasing the boat, the Polish Navy gains vital hands-on experience operating a modern, Swedish-built AIP submarine ahead of the first A26 deliveries scheduled for 2031. During the lease, the Swedish Navy will continue to provide foundational maintenance and sustainment support.
As Polish crews work through their curriculum in Karlskrona, broader industrial and capability ties continue to deepen. Alongside the interim boat arrangements, the wider Orka framework encompasses comprehensive weapon packages—featuring advanced heavy and light torpedoes—and lays the groundwork for shared underwater domain cooperation, such as potential synergies with Poland’s Ratownik submarine rescue vessel program. With training advancing smoothly, Warsaw and Stockholm are firmly cementing a strategic underwater partnership designed to secure the Baltic for decades to come.
